


Everything you fear is here

by darcie



Series: 1DMagic [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Ghosts, M/M, Magic, Vampires, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-16
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-29 12:14:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 67,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/686833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darcie/pseuds/darcie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title: Everything You Fear is Here<br/>Pairings: Harry/Louis, Liam/Niall, Zayn/OFC<br/>Story Summary: Some things weren't supposed to happen yet, and some things weren't supposed to happen at all. But what if they did anyway?<br/>Disclaimer: The boys are not mine and I do not own them. This is fiction.<br/>Author's Note: This story takes place 4.5 years after "Closer." This was originally posted on Livejournal (darciewritestoo)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Basically he was his mum's show-and-tell project.   
  
Harry looked around at the small group of thirteen year olds in front of him. He couldn't believe he had actually agreed to this. How was he supposed to talk to these kids who had just come into their powers about magic? What did  _he_  know that any other witch didn't?   
  
Of course, he knew it wasn't about his skill level. There were far more skilled witches than him. But teaching kids with magic in groups was a fairly new development in the recent years. His mum had volunteered to teach this group of kids, which was made up of kids of the members of five close covens. There were only seven kids, and they were in that rebellious stage that probably wouldn't end for a  _long_  time. His mum wanted to find a way for them to listen to her. So she had enlisted Harry, hoping that they would listen to him because he was like them, and he was famous.   
  
He wasn't so sure of that. They didn't want to learn about magic from him. It might have been almost ten years ago, but he remembered what it was like at that age. They wanted to know all the details about being famous, how his bandmates were, details about who they were dating.  _That_  question, Harry would absolutely  _not_  answer.   
  
"So..." Harry held up a hand and waved awkwardly. Seven pairs of eyes stared back at him. Some seemed more excited than others, but that was to be expected. Either way, he was worried that they would all start asking the unnecessary questions. "So... my mum told you I'm like you, huh?"   
  
"When's your new album coming out?" Cara, a petite girl with long blonde hair interrupted, "I heard it's going to be absolutely fantastic!"   
  
Harry smiled. "I can answer questions about that later. Uh, why don't we talk about magic? That's what I'm here for. I guess to tell you what it's like, uh, being me and being a witch."   
  
"A witch?" one of the three boys in the room, Hunter, asked. "My parents  _never_  call us that."   
  
Harry was sure he was blushing now, probably almost as bad as Niall always did. He had forgotten. He had gotten so used to the word that it was ingrained in his vocabulary now. "Yeah, sorry. It's more of a term they use in America," he lied. He knew he could get away with that, considering the circumstances. The kids nodded knowingly.   
  
"Is Vanessa like us?" Celeste asked, leaning forward.   
  
Harry swallowed nervously. This was a bad idea. But he couldn't let these kids see that. They had asked a legitimate question, and they had concluded it because he mentioned America in the first place. Vanessa was American, so it made sense.   
  
The thing with Vanessa was that everyone, outside of the small group of people who knew the truth, thought that she and Harry were together. He invited her to go to events with him and the rest of the guys, and they did hang out sometimes. There were a lot of paparazzi pictures of them plastered all over the Internet. The papers had dubbed Vanessa "Harry's long-time" girlfriend. And both of them neither confirmed nor denied the story, even though it was all lies. Harry did feel weird sometimes. Like, he was kind of pretending his girl friend was his  _girlfriend_ , but she didn't seem to care. She didn't let it bother her, and she seemed to understand that the fans eased up on her once they realized after a few years that she wasn't going away. She had told him that from a fan's point of view it was better than him having a ton of "girlfriends," which would upset the fans even more. Having something long-term was more his style once he had an actual public relationship.   
  
But he didn't have an actual public relationship. He and Louis were doing the best that they could, and after almost five years, they were still completely into each other. Harry couldn't see his feelings for Louis ever fading away. But they knew that while they were this young, they needed to pretend to be straight. So they did, no matter how much it sucked. While Harry had Vanessa, Louis had a new fake girlfriend every few months. Not that he ever confirmed or denied those rumors either. Those girls he was seen with weren't even pretending for him; they were simply hanging out, and usually the rest of the band was there as well, just somewhere in the background.   
  
Harry mustered up a smile and leaned forward toward the group. "What I'm going to say cannot leave this room, of course. I know that you all signed magic secrecy oaths."   
  
Several of the thirteen year olds nodded, suddenly very intrigued.   
  
"Vanessa  _is_  like us. She said I could tell you." Harry confirmed. And it was true; she was part of the New York coven, which was why this was a perfect set-up. The papers thought she was his American long-term, long-distance relationship. They knew that his life was over here in the U.K., and she had a job in a law firm over in New York, so her life was  _there_. The papers didn't question it. It really worked out well. "She does magic very well, one of the best I've seen, actually. And I know that if you all do your lessons, you'll be just as good. So listen to your parents and my mum, who happens to be your teacher, alright? Everything you're learning will be important one day."   
  
Gabe, who sat the furthest back of the seven kids, groaned. "This blows. It's extra school, and we already have enough of that. And no offense, pretty boy, but not even you can make that interesting."   
  
"I had a version of this as well," Harry told him, not phased by the kid's attitude. "Not exactly like this, I didn't learn with other kids. I wish I had, though. It would have been easier to make friends with more people like me. I had to try extra hard to fit in in school instead." And it had been easy enough. He had been popular in school, and then he'd lucked into getting put in One Direction. But it was because he made the right choices. He had needed to do that so that he didn't get left behind socially. "My mum taught me, and I promise she's good. Your parents will still guide you with plenty of things. Each family has its own, uh, way of doing things."   
  
Then a red-headed girl raised her hand. "I heard see ghosts. Is that true? Can we do that?"   
  
How to explain that? "Well, Alysa, uh..." He hadn't really thought about what he would say if any of the kids asked him about it. And of course they had heard about it. They all knew about what had happened with PAUSE nearly five years ago. "I do see ghosts. Well, I mean... I see spirits and can feel their energy. And I can cast spells that have to do with them. But that's a special power, others can't really do it." He hoped he wasn't bragging.   
  
"What's so special about you?" Gabe asked immediately, smirking.   
  
"Shut up, Gabe, he's  _Harry Styles_." Faith hissed as she turned back to glare at him.   
  
"And that makes him special because...?" Gabe prompted, looking bored now.   
  
"Because he defeated PAUSE!" Cara told him. "Remember that? We learned about that last week."   
  
"I had a lot of help." Harry interjected. "I'm not the only one who defeated PAUSE. The boys helped, our families helped, and, of course, the ghosts helped. And to answer your question, Gabe, having an additional power doesn't necessarily make me special. Sometimes it's a pain in the arse."   
  
"The rest of One Direction know you're magic?" Bryce asked, surprised. "Aren't we supposed to keep this secret?"   
  
Harry shrugged. "They got involved. Also, Louis was in PAUSE, though once he realized what they were doing, he left. But, yes, they know. I suppose you could say it's complicated being in a band while having magic, but I've managed to make it work. Everyone who knows has been surprisingly tolerant." The people who knew were the boys as well as all of their families. They hadn't told any other humans about the supernatural world. "But I also suppose I'm here to tell you all that you can do whatever  _you_  want to do in the future and still have magic. Don't let it limit you. But don't take advantage of it, either, because karma  _does_  exist when you use magic selfishly."  
  
"Are you saying you didn't use magic to get famous?" Gabe asked. The other six kids turned around to glare at him now.  
  
 _What_  was with this kid? "Fine. If you want the truth, being a witch  _does_  make you more... intriguing to people sometimes. I will not lie about that, and you've probably noticed it in your own lives. But I never used magic to advance my career. Don't you think that if I had done that, I would have been able to go through the X Factor as a solo artist? No. Don't ever forget you're human. That's important."   
  
Gabe didn't respond. He just stared back at Harry blankly. Harry tried not to flash a satisfied smile. After all, the kid was only thirteen. But he was  _obnoxious_.   
  
Harry answered a few more basic questions about being a famous magic and before he knew it, his mum came back into the room. She handed them all worksheets before they dispersed, going to meet their parents outside of the building. It wasn't the official coven house, but the surrounding covens had bought a house for the purpose of educating magic youth. It gave Harry an eerie feeling, but he really didn't have the heart to tell the kids or his mum that this house was haunted. The ghost thing kind of freaked his mum out, so Harry didn't talk about it much with her. Gemma, however, thought it was pretty cool so they had lengthy conversations about ghosts, spirits, angels, anything in that book.   
  
Ever since Harry had started using the magic book, he had been picking up more and more ghostly activity in houses and buildings. Occasionally he saw them in the form of orbs, though they didn't shine as brightly as when he did spells. That was lucky, though, because they were pretty hypnotizing. Four and a half years later and he still had trouble holding on to reason whenever he did that.   
  
"Is Gabe always like that?" Harry asked as soon as the kids were gone. He had watched Gabe as he left. While the other kids held the worksheets, aware they were important, he had folded his paper a bunch of times and shoved it into his pockets. Harry wouldn't be surprised if the paper just got washed in the laundry or something.   
  
"Pretty much," Anne replied. She shrugged. "I figure there's always one. But he does help me appreciate the fact that I lucked out with you and your sister."   
  
Harry smiled as his phone bugged in his pocket. He took it out and read the text. ' _Check your email! - Vanessa_ '   
  
"From Louis?" Harry's mum asked, a sly smile about her lips.   
  
Harry rolled his eyes slightly, but he couldn't help but blush a little. His family and Louis' family both knew about them. Harry's mum had been the first parent to realize it, though Gemma had actually been the first one to talk to Harry about it. Then, of course, their families had gradually found out. It turned out that his mum and Louis' had speculated about them for months, playing the are-they-or-aren't-they game, and had been pleased to find out the truth. "No, it's from Nessa. Just telling me to check my email. Anyway, need help with anything else?"   
  
She shook her head. "I suppose that's all for today. Thank you for coming in today, H. Truthfully, the girls were all begging me to get you to come in and speak. They're big fans."   
  
"I got that impression." Harry said. "They're good kids. I suppose I'll go then. I should check in with the other lads. But call me if you need anything, alright?"   
  
"Of course." she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Now go home. It's been a busy day."   
  
Harry nodded. It  _had_. They'd had two morning/early afternoon interviews, a small mid-afternoon gig, and then in the evening Harry had come here to speak to the group of kids. Truthfully, he could use a night of relaxing before having another busy day tomorrow. Maybe he could he convince Louis to stay in tonight, he mused. Though since they had gotten together, that hadn't been too difficult. A lot of the time they went out together (and with the other guys) but sometimes they just liked to laze about. Though whenever they did that, the other boys always teased them because every time they touched they were automatically "cuddling," at least according to Zayn.   
  
Also, not only did they have gigs and interviews to worry about, but they also had different solo projects going on. Not that the band was splitting up or anything, but they  _were_  expanding their horizons. Liam was a judge on the X Factor this year, so he was busy with all of that, while Niall had become the co-sponsor of some important charity to end homelessness. Zayn had just signed on to become a model for a brand new clothing line, while Louis had taken up stage acting again. Harry knew that all of the fans were expecting  _him_  to do something, and they were hanging on his every word to find out what it was. But truthfully, he had his hands full between magic and the band. If something came along, maybe he would do that. But right now he was happy.   
  
He clicked onto his email and read it as he transported himself back home to the house he shared with the other lads.   
  
 _Hey Harry! What's up? Hope you're well!  
  
I'm writing you about something that might be a little awkward. Okay, so there's this guy at work. I won't bore you with all the details, but long story short, he asked me out. But the thing is, he knows about you. He asked me if we were together and since I like him, I kind of blurted out the truth. Not about you and Louis, but that we're just friends. So I guess what I'm saying is that we should "break up"? Lol. Feel free to visit if you want to talk about it. Besides, it's not like the fans will care, other than those "Haressa" (ugh, that name lol) ones. The fans would actually be fine with you being "single" for awhile anyway. And you know you and Louis can't hide forever - Not that I'm pressuring you to come out at all! I know how important your careers are!!   
  
So yeah, write back! Let me know the best way to go about this.  
  
Vanessa  <3_  
  
Harry took a deep breath and sat on his bed. Of course he had known this day would come eventually, and he couldn't be mad at her. And she was right - the fans would  _love_  this. And even though he wasn't actually single, they wouldn't know that.   
  
He typed a quick reply on his phone.   
  
 _Vanessa! Of course it's fine, don't feel awkward! :D Congratulations on being asked out! I guess what we should do is just be subtle about it? I could answer girlfriend questions now and you could just be seen out with your boyfriend? Sound good? I'll visit soon! Busy with everything, and I taught my mum's class today. Can you believe it?? :P .x Harry_    
  
He had been avoiding girlfriend questions like crazy for the past few years. When he had turned eighteen, he stopped answering them, just letting the other lads do it. He couldn't believe how many times he'd actually been asked if he had a girlfriend. Probably hundreds, if not thousands. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but it was  _a lot_.   
  
"Harry?"   
  
Harry looked up to find Niall lingering in the doorway. Niall had grown up a lot of ways, in terms of his looks, in the past few years. He was definitely much more attractive now than he had been years ago, though he had never been  _un_ attractive, in Harry's opinion. Sometimes Harry wondered if Niall's getting more fit had scared Liam off, though that was probably stupid.   
  
Niall and Liam weren't together - at least, they weren't right now. Sometimes they were, and sometimes they weren't. He, Louis, and Zayn could always tell when Niall and Liam were together, or had slept together, because they acted mushy and  _very_  into each other. And when they split up, they acted awkward around each other. Harry guessed, by how his two friends had been acting recently, that they were in that in-between stage.   
  
They (well, mostly Liam) had never completely gotten over the gay thing. When he and Niall split up the first time, they had acted like nothing had happened between them at all. They were still caring and considerate of each other, and no one could tell from photos of them that things were weird. But they had tried to go back to girls for awhile. They had both gotten short-term girlfriends before they had gotten back together. Then, of course, they split up again. It had happened a few more times.   
  
It kind of sucked. Harry just wanted his friends to be happy. But then again, he completely understood. Harry had never really cared about the gay thing. He was who he was. He was probably bisexual, though he had never put a label to it. Louis, however, had been more freaked out at the beginning. He was fine with it now, of course, but he still acted kind of weird sometimes. Though he had gotten much better over the years. Their first time performing at G-A-Y after the X Factor, Louis had been unsure of himself. Harry realized that after watching the videos. Their most recent performance there, a few months ago, Louis had gone and danced in a group of guys, without a care in the world.   
  
And, Zayn, well... he'd had girlfriends since all of the PAUSE drama. None of his relationships ever lasted too long. Harry knew that Zayn still kind of liked Isabel, but he also knew that Zayn knew their relationship was impossible. Isabel didn't age, and Zayn was now in his early twenties. He could probably get away with it for a few more years, but it didn't matter. Because Isabel had left the country a few years ago.   
  
"Hey," Harry stood up and approached Niall. "Want me to cook or something?" At first, Harry had mostly just cooked for him and Louis. Now that they all lived together permanently, he was the designated cook, even if he couldn't make too much. He liked it though. It helped him clear his head from stress of the day.   
  
"Nah, I just ate." Niall said. "Did you teach that class?"   
  
"I did." Harry said as he stepped out of the bedroom. They walked down the hallway together, passing Liam and Zayn's rooms. Quick glances into them told Harry that the boys weren't in their rooms. "There was this annoying kid, but the others were fine. How is everything here?"   
  
"The others are out." Niall said. "Liam's doing some X Factor thing, and Zayn and Louis went out for drinks." Harry couldn't help but notice how Niall's voice squeaked a bit on Liam's name.   
  
"Why didn't you go?" Harry asked. They headed down the stairs now, toward the kitchen. Because even if Niall had insisted he just ate, he wouldn't refuse food if it was offered. And Harry was hungry as well.   
  
"Didn't feel like it." Niall sat down at the kitchen table.   
  
Harry turned away to find a box of pasta in a cupboard, but also so he wasn't tempted to ask Niall the real reason why he didn't go out with the guys. Niall hadn't felt like doing much lately, especially since his latest split with Liam. Harry wished they would just work it out already. He wished they weren't so insecure about the gay thing. And it wasn't like they were  _gay_. They  _did_ like girls, but not as much as they liked each other. And maybe someday it wouldn't be a big deal. Their original fans were growing up as well, and it would be expected of them to settle down with partners eventually. Though no one really expected them to settle down with each other.   
  
If Harry hadn't promised not to do magic on his friends, he would totally do some sort of charm to make them open up to each other. Or maybe not, as that was an invasion of privacy. But it was always tempting.   
  
He filled a large pot with water, and since he was  _quite_  hungry, as soon as he turned on the boiler, he tapped the side of the pot, sending magic into it to make the water boil.   
  
"I saw that." Niall said, laughing.   
  
"I'm impatient today!" Harry replied, defending himself. He poured the pasta into the water, and then sat down at the table across from Niall. "So. Do you want to talk about it?"   
  
"About your superpowers?" Niall looked up into his eyes, confused.   
  
"No. About whatever's bothering you." Harry said. "Is it about Liam?" Niall's reddening face told Harry that it was. "Niall,  _what_  is going on? You always split up and get back together. It's not some, like...  _sex thing_  is it?"   
  
" _What_?" Niall practically yelled. He took a few breaths and then shook his head. "No. It's not a big deal. Really."   
  
"Obviously it is if it's bothering you. You're not one to turn down drinks with the guys." Harry pointed out. He turned back around to the pasta. There was about ten minutes left on the clock. Then he turned back to Niall. "So why  _do_  you always split up? I'm not trying to pry, by the way. I just want you guys to be happy."   
  
Niall was quiet for a moment. And then he admitted, "It's never  _my_  idea."   
  
"What? It's Liam's?"   
  
"He always freaks out about, you know. The two guys thing. It doesn't seem to bother him whenever we're in bed..." Instantly his face became an even deeper shade of red. "Sorry!" Harry waved at him in a no-big-deal gesture. "But, yeah, as soon as he gets thinking about it... public image, interviews, whatever... he freaks out. Says we can't do this. Even if I want to."   
  
Harry contemplated getting up and hugging Niall. He looked kind of defeated. "Niall, it  _should_  be up to you. Or at least half, if you're part of the relationship, or whatever it is. If he cares about you, he should know that."   
  
"I know. I want to bring it up at some point. But I don't want to bother him. He's busy with all that X Factor stuff. Maybe I'll bring it up in January."   
  
"So you're going to live with this for over four months? Do you think Zayn is going to stand for that?" Harry asked, cracking a small smile. Zayn  _still_  hated drama. Whenever Niall and Liam were acting angsty, he actually left the room, saying something like  _you know I love you guys, but too much drama for me._    
  
Niall shook his head. "You're right. It sucks. I just want him. Why does he have to be such an idiot?"   
  
"Because even though he can be mature sometimes, he's still scared and probably kind of at a loss about what to do. He wants  _you_ , that much is obvious." At that, Niall looked at him hopefully. Harry continued, "But maybe he doesn't know how to keep you. Long-term, I mean. Because people  _do_  ask questions. We get relationship questions all the time. That's a lot of pressure. And now he's going to be on the X Factor every week. Still, he needs to sort himself out."   
  
Niall nodded, laying his head down on the table. "You and Louis are lucky. You handle it much better."   
  
 _Yeah, who would have thought we would be the ones in a stable relationship?_  Harry mused. "If it makes you feel any better, mate, Vanessa can't beard for me anymore because she got herself a boyfriend."   
  
Harry could tell it didn't really help at all, but Niall humored him, acting sympathetic.   
  
A half hour later, Louis and Zayn came home to find Harry and Niall sitting across from each other. Niall had gobbled up his pasta fast, but Harry was eating slowly today. Not to mention they were talking about their day. Their first clue that the others were back was a loud voice shrieking out, "WHERE IS MY CURLY?"   
  
Harry rolled his eyes at Louis' scream, even though he secretly loved it. Niall, of course, laughed. Harry heard Zayn say something to Louis about being ridiculous and gay as they made their way toward the kitchen. Harry turned around just in time to practically be assaulted by Louis, who gave him a big kiss on the lips. Harry was tempted to kiss back, though he knew their PDA grossed out the other lads.   
  
"Save it for the bedroom, boys." Zayn said, sitting down beside Niall.   
  
"Oh, we will." Louis winked at Zayn and then sat down as well. "So what are we talking about?"   
  
"Well, I was just talking about the class I had to speak to today." Harry said. "There's this annoying kid named Gabe who kept giving me trouble. But overall it was alright. Can't see myself doing that kind of thing on a regular basis, though. I should have rehearsed everything I was going to say."   
  
Louis shamelessly rested his head on Harry's shoulder even though Harry wasn't done eating yet. "I'm sure you did fine. Where's Liam?"   
  
Across the table, Niall tensed. But Harry spoke for him. "X Factor stuff. He should be back soon as well."   
  
About an hour later, Liam came home to find the four of them hanging out in the living room. Louis and Harry were draped over each other on one couch while Niall and Zayn were on the other, flipping through television channels. When Liam opened the door, he glanced at the other four boys before hanging his light jacket and keys up by the door. "You guys sure know how to throw a party."   
  
In response, Louis made some quip about there being a party in his pants while Niall tried very hard to concentrate on the television.   
  
"Guess I can't blame you lads. We're getting up early tomorrow." Liam sat down in the armchair, which was next to Niall. Niall glanced over at Liam, but the look on his face was awkward and tentative. Liam looked just as uncomfortable. But despite how weird they were acting right now, they also looked like they wanted to jump each other's bones. Harry wished that they would just talk things out. It seemed to work well enough when they first got together. Liam looked around, his gaze finally landing on Niall. "I think I'm just going to head up to bed. See you bright and early."   
  
As he left the room, Zayn turned to Niall sharply. As soon as Liam was out of earshot, Zayn said, "Go fucking talk to him."   
  
Niall stared at Zayn wide-eyed. "I can't."   
  
"Do it. He wants you to follow him."   
  
Niall shook his head and stood. "I'll see you later." he said, wandering into the kitchen, most likely toward the basement, which also had a nice couch and television setup. They all went there when they wanted to be alone, so Harry guessed that was what Niall wanted right now.   
  
Harry, Louis, and Zayn looked at each other. Zayn shook his head, rolled his eyes, and looked back at the television screen, getting lost in a movie.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
That night around one in the morning, Harry and Louis entered their room, locking their door behind them. Actually, it was officially Harry's room. They all had rooms in their large house, which they had acquired fairly recently, but the rooms all appeared to be singles, so they needed five to give the pretense that Harry and Louis didn't actually sleep in the same room regularly. Louis even had clothes strewn about his own room, really getting into the lie.   
  
Louis stripped down like he always did and sat down on the bed, lifting up his pointer finger in a  _come hither_  gesture. Harry laughed slightly, but unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers, letting them fall to his ankles. He lifted his shirt over his head and walked toward Louis as Louis grinned at him. They knew what to expect by now but they never tired of each other. Every time they did anything, it was perfect.   
  
But Louis surprised him tonight, standing up just in time to tackle Harry and push him down onto the bed, which was not what Harry had anticipated. Harry had thought that he was going to be the one to tackle Louis, or he'd lay him back on the bed... but even so, a laugh escaped Harry's lips just before Louis kissed him deeply, burying the fingers on his right hand into Harry's hair and placing the other between Harry's legs.   
  
"Way to  _not_  take off your boxers, Styles." Louis teased.   
  
"Obviously I was waiting for you to do it for me. You failed me!" Harry accused him, chuckling against his lips. Then before he knew it, Louis had moved his hands to Harry's arse, lifting him up and sliding his boxers down to his feet. When they were fully off of Harry, Louis threw them to the floor somewhere, and Harry knew he wouldn't see them for a week.  
  
Louis then grinned slyly, glancing down at Harry's dick and then back up. His eyes said it all.  _You're already hard. I must be awesome at this._  In fact, it was so apparent that Harry almost told him to shut up. But instead, they kissed again, this time moving together back toward the pillow. Louis had one hand wrapped around Harry's dick as he kissed down Harry's neck and his right shoulder, sending a shiver down Harry's spine.   
  
Louis reached over to the beside table, opening the drawer and grabbing a condom out of the package. They didn't always use them, but that was mostly when Harry fucked Louis. When it was Louis, he liked to use a condom a lot of the time, though Harry had to admit feeling Louis' inside him without anything separating them did feel amazing.   
  
He also grabbed the small bottle of lube, which they really only used when Louis did the deed. Harry was rather skilled at lubing himself and Louis up with magic, but Louis kind of liked doing it the normal way. And Harry admitted that he loved it. He loved feeling Louis' hands move around on his arse, opening him up, prepping him. He loved when Louis' finger was inside him. This time, Louis wasted no time. As soon as his finger was in there, he went in deep, and Harry cried out, "Jesus! Lou."   
  
"Bit much?" Louis asked, kissing Harry on the side of his face. Instead of giving Harry the chance to to reply, he moved his finger a bit more gently, giving Harry the chance to react properly. This time when Harry made a sound, it was a moan of pleasure. He buried his head against Louis' shoulder, taking in his scent. He actually smelled like he needed a shower, but he still smelled like Louis, so it was all the comfort Harry needed.   
  
"You should probably fuck me now," Harry advised him, feeling closer with every movement of Louis' hand. "Or I can't see this lasting."   
  
Louis happily obliged, positioning himself, entering Harry as he continued to shower kisses all around Harry's side. Once Louis was inside him, Harry moved with him immediately. Louis held him close, refusing to let Harry get too far away from him. When Louis topped, he usually fucked Harry from behind because that way he  _could_  get closer. Harry pushed back into him, turning his head around just a bit in time to catch Louis' lips with his own.  
  
After they had been going at it a little while longer, Louis began moaning that he was close. His cries became increasingly louder until he felt Louis shudder and come, continuing his movements until he finished his orgasm. Louis' cries of pleasure and then his sounds of relief as he finished sent Harry closer to the edge. And Louis knew it too. Still inside Harry but no longer moving, he reached around Harry and started stroking him. It felt amazing, but it wasn't a fast rhythm. Harry knew it was because Louis wanted Harry to last.   
  
"Louis. Lou,  _please_ ," Harry whined. But Louis just continued stroking slowly, his tongue now moving down Harry's face, to his jaw.   
  
Then, in one quick movement, Louis changed everything entirely. He pulled himself out of Harry and sat up, kneeling on the bed. Harry fell backward onto the bed, and Louis smiled at the face Harry made when he did. Then Louis kneeled over Harry, and without saying a word, took Harry's dick into his mouth.   
  
" _Louis_ ," Harry said. He reached out and gripped the bedding hard. Over the past few years, Louis had become rather skilled at giving blowjobs, even though he had been sort of awkward about it at first. Now he was a pro, moving up and down, flicking his tongue in all the right spots. Before he knew it, he was coming into Louis' mouth, trying his best not to be too loud about it, as the lads might have heard. Not that they didn't know what they got up to, but they didn't really rub it in the others' faces. Not that he wanted to think about that right now... Not when Louis had just finished swallowing his cum and was giving him a satisfied, tired smile.   
  
Harry smiled back and reached up. Louis fell into him and they kissed. "I love you," Harry told him, feeling particularly sentimental. It was only Louis who could do this to him.   
  
"I love you too," Louis replied, kissing him on the forehead.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
 _He opened his eyes.  
  
The spirits were everywhere; other than their light, the room was completely dark. But it was kind of weird because they didn't have the hypnotic effect that the usually did. Still, Harry stared at them, wondering exactly what they wanted. Why were they here?  
  
And where _ was _he? He looked around. He was... this was his room. But that was impossible. The house he shared with the other boys was new, and there weren't any spirits here. He'd made sure of that before they actually decided to move in. Did... did that mean that the spirits had come to visit him?  
  
He watched as one of the spirit orbs moved down the wall and toward the safe, which held Harry's magic stuff, including his spell books. He quickly got out of bed and kneeled in front of the safe. He twisted the dial, the combination memorable and probably too easy to figure out. It was 2-24-12. It stood for his own birth month as well as Louis' birthday.   
  
When he opened the safe door, the spirit book was glowing. Puzzled, Harry held it up. This had never happened before.   
  
He looked back up at the other spirits. And suddenly he got it. The way they moved, the way they gravitated toward the book. They couldn't speak unless they inhabited someone's body, but Harry knew what they were saying. He had to read something in the book.   
  
But when he opened the book, the light was blinding._    
  
  
"Harry? Harry!"   
  
Harry sat up in bed, looking around the room. Everything was back to normal. There were no orbs, no spirits. The room was messy, and it was the appropriate amount of darkness for half six in the morning. He turned to find Louis looking at him, puzzled. "'Morning."   
  
"Morning, Curly." Louis said. "You alright? You were kind of moaning in your sleep. Not the good kind either. You sounded like you were in pain."   
  
"I'm fine." Harry told him. "It was just a weird magic dream. I wasn't in pain, there was just this blinding light."   
  
"Okay," Louis said. He seemed unconvinced, but he also looked like he wanted to believe Harry. "But if you need to talk about anything, I'll be back from the shower soon, okay, Harry?"   
  
Harry nodded and kissed Louis lightly on the mouth, despite his morning breath. He didn't actually mind it so much because he knew he had that as well. Louis smiled, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, and left the room.   
  
Immediately, Harry rushed to the safe, dialed the combination, and pulled the spirit spell book out. It wasn't glowing like it had been in the dream. Still, he knew he had to open it. The dream had to mean  _something_.   
  
The answer was on the first page.   
  
 _Joan Black_  
  
 _Randall Brody_    
  
 _Harry Styles_    
  
 _Gabriel Cyland_  
  
 _Alysa Foster_  
  
"What?" Harry whispered. "What the fuck?"   
  
There were two names listed under his. Two of the kids from the class he'd spoken to yesterday. Gabe and Alysa. Why two names, and why  _now_?   
  
Aunt Dee and Uncle Chris had explained how the list of names worked. New names appeared when the book started to belong to someone else. It was weird, because Harry still felt very connected to the spirit world, and he had had that dream. He assumed that would stop if the book no longer belonged to him.   
  
New names appearing in the book also meant that he was nearing the end of his life.   
  
He closed the book and put it back in the safe, suddenly feeling very nauseous.   
  
He was going to die.


	2. Chapter 2

Louis turned off the water and grabbed his towel. He contemplated just walking the hallway naked and surprising Harry, but he didn't want to scare off the other lads if he ran into them. He did have a little bit of shame left, though most of it was gone after living with and being in a band with the others for so long. So he wrapped his towel around his waist and walked back to the room he and Harry shared.  
  
When he opened the door, he found Harry sitting in front of the safe fully naked, reading his spirit spell book. He looked like he was at a loss for words, even though he was just reading. "Harry?"   
  
Harry looked up. "That was a short shower."   
  
"Obviously I couldn't wait to get back to you." Louis said, flashing Harry his best seductive smile. Harry just blinked at him and looked down at the spell book again. Confused, Louis approached Harry and sat next to him on the floor, not even bothering to fix the towel when it came apart. He reached up and ran his fingers through Harry's curls, kissing his ear. "Everything alright?"   
  
Harry closed the spell book then and looked up at him. His face said  _no_  but he replied, "Yeah, fine. Just tired." He tilted his face up and met Louis in a kiss. Louis moaned softly and pressed into him. If they didn't have so little time he would be tempted to do more than just kiss him.   
  
Louis felt incredibly lucky. He'd been sort of stupid when he was younger, though he had been under the impression he was just protecting people. He'd done a lot of things he regretted. But the good thing that came out of being a part of PAUSE was being with Harry. He had no doubts that he and Harry would have happened eventually anyway, but when Isabel had attacked him that one night, he and Harry had ended up snogging. He wondered how much longer it would have taken them if it hadn't happened. Maybe they would have been living in denial for the next four years instead of having sex and creeping out the other lads with how cute they were.   
  
But right now, Harry pulled away and stood up, giving Louis a slight smile. He looked nervous, and Louis knew that Harry had been lying when he said he was fine, but he also knew that Harry  _would_  tell him when he was ready. Because he and Harry shared everything now, and they knew that if there was one person they could trust, it was each other. He just had to trust Harry to open up to him, because he  _would_. Louis knew he would. Still, he wished it could be now. Instead, he stood up as well and pulled Harry into a tight hug. "Whatever's going on, everything will be fine."  
  
"Okay," Harry said quietly, squeezing Louis back. He buried his face into Louis' shoulder for a moment before looking back up into his eyes. "I'll tell you, I promise. Let's just get through today. It's probably nothing anyway."   
  
Louis nodded. He  _hoped_  it was nothing.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The interview was like all the others that had been done recently. Liam sat between Harry and Louis, purposefully separating them for fear they would reveal the true nature of their relationship. Maybe he underestimated them, because they didn't move across the table to touch at all and Harry  _was_  acting kind of weird. Plus he didn't want to sit next to Niall. Things were weird enough with him as it was.   
  
Liam couldn't help stealing glances at Niall, though. He hated doing this. He  _hated_  it. He hated hurting Niall. And yet he was doing it. Niall caught his eyes and Liam looked away.   
  
"Liam," Louis nudged him. "The nice lady asked you a question."   
  
"Oh," He looked up at her and mustered up a smile. "Can you repeat that please?"   
  
"What are you most looking forward to about X Factor? Is it working with Louis Walsh?" she asked with a teasing smile.   
  
Louis Walsh had never left the X Factor, the only judge to never have done so. Since One Direction had been on in 2010, he had only gotten the overs, the groups for the most part, except for that one year he got the boys and they all left the competition by week six. Liam knew it was a difficult task, but he kind of wanted the groups, and he would be finding that out very shortly. "I suppose just being able to help someone achieve their dream. I know what it's like. We all," he gestured to his four friends, "know what it's like. I want to be able to bring that to the competition. And hopefully win," he added with a wink.   
  
"Can you tell us anything about the upcoming series?"   
  
Liam shook his head. "You'll just have to watch! It's going to be one of the most competitive years ever. I'm really excited for it."   
  
"Right!" she said, looking down on at her notes. "On to the obligatory girlfriends question." She glanced back up. "Any girlfriends, gentlemen?"   
  
"No steady girlfriends, no." Louis told her. "We like playing the field!"   
  
"Right." Harry nodded in agreement. "No girlfriends."   
  
Her jaw dropped just a bit. "Harry, weren't you going out with Vanessa-"   
  
"We're friends," Harry told her immediately. "She's seeing somebody, actually, and it's not me. I suppose it's time to put those suspicions to rest."   
  
"You mean to say you've been single all this time?"   
  
Harry, genius that he was, glanced over at Louis. Liam exchanged a look with Zayn. He knew what his friend was thinking. The fangirls were going to have a field day with that one. Still, Harry smiled at Louis, and then looked back at the interviewer. "Well, no. But I'm currently not dating Vanessa. Or any girl for that matter."   
  
She squinted at him suspiciously, but then turned her attention to the other boys. Louis had already answered, so she asked Liam, Niall, and Zayn. Zayn told her he'd just broken it off with somebody, which was true. He had seen that one girl for three weeks, and that counted, right? Niall blushed furiously, but said that he was currently single. Liam just gave the girl a cryptic shrug and winked at her again, trying to channel Louis but probably failing. Still, that settled that question. She didn't press it further.   
  
Further into the interview, he looked up to find Niall staring at him again. This time Niall didn't back down. Liam gave him an apologetic smile. Every smile he'd been giving him was apologetic lately. Still, Niall narrowed his eyes and then, for some reason, stuck out his tongue. Liam covered his mouth with his sleeve so that his laugh wouldn't be too obvious. Even in times like this, Niall could make situations like this funny.   
  
It wasn't like he didn't still have feelings for Niall. He  _did_. Liam was pretty sure that they were never going to go away, because he'd tried everything. He'd tried hookups, hanging out with old flames, finding new girls to actually date, and  _none_  of it had worked. Still, the risk that this was had gotten to him. How could he date  _someone in his own band_ , let alone a guy? Louis and Harry were obvious enough as it was; they didn't need two obvious couples to jeopardize everything they had worked hard to build. Not to mention, Liam was pretty sure that most of the fans expected Harry and Louis to end up together anyway, no matter what the size of the fans' crushes on them were. But the other three band members, logically they were  _not_  expected to end up together. Fans might be all about the bromance Niam, but if it was revealed they were together... who knew what that could do to them? He didn't want to be part of a "gay band." He just wanted to sing with his friends. Without complications.   
  
That wasn't to say there weren't complications. Louis and Harry were a complication. Harry's magic was a complication. His awkwardness with Niall was a complication. Zayn's inability to get over Isabel, which Liam found absolutely ridiculous, was a complication. But those things were easy to hide. And Liam could be very obvious with his feelings. If he and Niall were together, he would go all out. He knew he would. It would be so obvious that interviewers would come out and ask them if they were together.   
  
Maybe he was being paranoid. But he knew. He just  _knew_  it would happen. So even though he cared for Niall as more than just a friend, he had pushed him away, broken up with him. Though sometimes Niall was persuasive. Sometimes Niall would come into Liam's room at night wearing nothing but his boxers and seduce Liam until his reservations were gone for a little while. Sometimes Liam would walk into a room, see Niall, and want to drag him off into some room and have his way with him. And sometimes he  _did_. But as for a real relationship... it couldn't be like that. Not in their situation. Not now. And probably not ever, if they couldn't wait for each other. But Liam hoped they could.   
  
He looked away from Niall, at Harry once again. Harry looked rather distracted as well, kind of like he couldn't wait to get out of here. They had a two hour break before their next obligation, and Liam wondered if Harry was planning to go anywhere. Maybe he was going to go to the coven house or something. Louis kept shooting Harry worried glances when he thought nobody was looking. But everyone  _always_  noticed, and no doubt there would be gifs of it as soon as this interview was put on YouTube.   
  
Finally, the interview ended. While Zayn and Niall schmoozed with the staff in charge, Harry took Louis aside, said something in a hushed voice, and then made a mad dash for the bathroom. Liam walked up to Louis. "Is he alright?"   
  
Louis sighed. "Wish I knew. He told me he was going to meet us at rehearsals. He's going to visit Vanessa, he said."   
  
" _What?_ "   
  
"He has to talk to her about some magic thing. He told me he would tell me later." Louis explained. "And hopefully he'll tell the rest of you if it's serious. It's not like we can keep too many secrets in that house anyway," he added pointedly. And Liam knew that. He knew that the other guys knew he and Niall slept together periodically. The other guys acted like it just didn't happen, and Liam was grateful for that.. They all teased Louis and Harry mercilessly about their sex life, and they all teased Zayn when he got some action, but Liam was kind of sensitive about it, considering he and Niall didn't even know what they were to each other, or what they  _could_  be. "But," Louis added, speaking softly, "I'm kind of worried."   
  
Liam stared at his friend sympathetically for a few seconds before wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Come on. Let's go schmooze."   
  
"Let's, Ian." Louis said, smiling now. Those rhyming nicknames hadn't been used in awhile. But Liam loved them because they made everyone laugh. They made  _Niall_  laugh. Crap...he couldn't stop thinking about Niall. He frowned.   
  
He was screwed, wasn't he?  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
First, Harry stopped at the house he shared with the other lads. He appeared in his room and opened the safe immediately, pulling out the spirit book. He opened the book to the first page to find Alysa and Gabe's names still there. Crap. He had hoped it was a glitch or something... not that that would make any sense. But  _none_  of this made sense.   
  
Then he closed his eyes and concentrated, gathering his power. It took more magic to transport across the ocean than across the country, but he could do it. He just needed to concentrate in complete silence. And when he heard the sound of loud cars, he opened his eyes. He was there.   
  
He stepped out from around the building, hoping nobody was looking at him. Instead, headed inside and right up to Vanessa's apartment. She had texted him back during the interview and told him to come by that morning because it was her day off. He took the elevator up to her floor and rushed to her door. He didn't have as much time as he wished he could have.   
  
A few seconds after he rang her doorbell, she answered, pulling him into a hug immediately. Harry's eyes drifted to a guy who sat on Vanessa's couch. He was picking at a plate of vegetables, which was a little unusual for a breakfast food. He set the plate aside as soon as he saw Harry and stood up. Harry walked into the apartment, smiling at the guy. There was something.... weird... about him. Something ... supernatural? It was in his eyes, Harry realized as he studied him.   
  
"This is Colin." Vanessa said with a tentative grin, "Colin, Harry Styles."   
  
"'Just friend' Harry Styles?" Colin asked in a joking voice as they shook hands. He laughed, and the tension was suddenly gone. It was clear that Colin and Vanessa had discussed his in depth. Wait... did Colin know what Vanessa was? Harry guessed he did. If Vanessa liked this guy as much as she said she did, he was pretty sure she would have told him. And maybe he would have recognized her as a witch anyway, depending his  _own_  supernatural background. Still, Harry didn't want to bring it up in case he was completely wrong.   
  
He glanced over Colin's outfit. It looked it was thrown on in a hurry. It was clear he had spent the night here. Harry felt some weird kind of protective thing for Vanessa, like he would for his sister. "Don't worry, man, we never dated. But Vanessa here is gorgeous. You're a lucky man." he told Colin honestly.   
  
Colin smiled. "I know." Then he turned to Vanessa. "I should get going, though. I have to be at work soon. I'll call you later, okay?" Vanessa gave him a dopey, in-love smile as he grabbed his coat from a hanger by the door and left the apartment. Then Vanessa took Colin's plate of vegetables and Harry followed her into the kitchen.   
  
"He seems nice," Harry offered.   
  
"He's definitely nice." Vanessa said. She dumped the vegetables into some tupperware and put the container in her refrigerator. Then she turned to Harry with a sad look in her eyes. "I don't know how long it will last, though."   
  
"What? You  _just_  got together, didn't you?" Harry asked, sitting down in a chair at her kitchen table. Vanessa sighed and sat across from him.   
  
"Don't tell anyone, not my parents, not even anyone like us," Vanessa said in a hushed voice, leaning across the table. "He's fae."   
  
Harry stared at her, confused. What did it matter if Colin was fae? But she looked like it was some huge secret. "Fae? Really?"   
  
The confusion must have been apparent on his face, because Vanessa frowned. "Yeah, you know what that means, don't you?"   
  
Harry shook his head. He actually had no idea. He knew that fae had fewer powers than witches, and he knew that they were even more tuned in to nature than witches. They barely ate anything other than fruits and vegetables, which explained Colin's breakfast of lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and an apple. Their powers actually completely revolved upon nature. They couldn't do magic inside their houses; they needed to be outside and in some type of natural spot. "I actually don't."   
  
"I can't date someone who's fae." Vanessa explained. "I can be friends with anyone I want, but dating a different type of supernatural is out of the question."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because... if I were to have kids with him, not that we're anywhere  _near_  that stage yet, they would either be like me, or like him. That's what happens with two different supernaturals. Two witches produce a witch. A witch and a human produce a witch. A fae or a witch produce a fae  _or_  a witch. And I'm supposed to take over my family's coven someday. And then my future kids are supposed to take over after me. And if I have fae kids... they can't."   
  
"You guys should just do what we do," Harry told her, patting her shoulder sympathetically. "Our leaders alternate."   
  
"We don't do that here, at least not here on the east coast." she replied. "But I  _really_  like him, Harry. It sucks."   
  
"So date him." Harry told her. "Worry about the rest later. Everything will work out. Does he know you're a witch?"  
  
"He knows." Vanessa confirmed, nodding slightly. "But he doesn't have anything to lose by dating me. He's not a fae prince or anything. He's just... Colin, you know? And the fae don't care if he dates me. But I asked my parents one day what they would do if I dated another kind of supernatural and they looked at me like I had two heads. Why do you have to be gay? I'd totally date you if you weren't."   
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm  _not_  gay. Just... not straight." He knew that Vanessa didn't actually have any feelings for him. She was a total Larry Stylinson fan, had been since they met.   
  
She shrugged. "Details. So... why do you have that?" she asked, pointing to the spell book. "You usually never bring that with you anywhere."   
  
"I don't..." Harry looked down. He kind of felt bad now. He didn't want to steer the conversation away from Vanessa's problem. But he did need her opinion. He opened the book to the page of names and handed it over to her. "Read."   
  
Her eyes scanned the page, and it was pretty obvious when she reached Gabe and Alysa's names. She let out a quiet gasp and then looked up at him. "That's not possible."   
  
"I know. What should I do?"   
  
"Have you talked to your mom yet?"   
  
Harry shook his head. He hadn't wanted to worry his mum until he was sure he had to. But Vanessa was right - she had a right to know if something was going to happen to him, didn't she? Not that they even knew that was the case. "I was thinking of talking to Gemma next. And maybe my aunt and uncle. I don't want to worry her. Not yet. She has enough to deal with, teaching those thirteen year olds. Gabe and Alysa are two of her students."   
  
"But... that makes even  _less_  sense. Isn't it, like... the next person is supposed to have just been born? Harry, whatever we're dealing with here, it's not normal. And whatever the rules of the book are, they seem to be changing. I know you're supposed to... um..."   
  
"Die."   
  
"Yeah, die. But it might not happen. Something weird is going on. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to the elders. You need to make sure."   
  
Harry nodded. He  _hoped_  she was right. Maybe since the book now included the names of two young teenagers, it didn't mean everything it usually did. He really, really hoped so because he really, really didn't want to die. Still, he did want to get everyone's opinion. He stood. "I should go talk to Gemma. I don't have a long break. But I'll let you know what's going on, I promise."   
  
"You better." She stood up as well and hugged him. "Don't you dare die."   
  
"I'll try my best." Harry assured her. Not like he was going to go looking for trouble. Especially not right now.   
  
  
  
Next, he transported himself to Gemma's flat. He did the same thing he had done at Vanessa's place. He appeared around the back of the building and then snuck in. Unlike Vanessa, Gemma was not expecting him. But she was usually home on this day at this time, so he figured he had a good chance of talking to her. He knew that she would probably tell their mother if he didn't assure her he would, but he really needed her opinion on this. He'd always looked up to his big sister, even when she teased him for perving on Louis. After all, she'd had a good reason for that.   
  
He made his way to Gemma's flat and rang the doorbell. It took her much longer to answer, and Harry wondered if she wasn't out. But then the door opened and his sister stood there. She was wearing a short, light blue bathrobe and had messy hair. Like... sex hair. He stared at her wide-eyed. "Oh god, this is a bad time, isn't it?"   
  
She blinked. "Sort of. But..." She looked down at the book in his hands and recognized that this was important. "Come on in."   
  
Harry stepped in. "Really, I can come back later if...."   
  
"No, really, it's fine." his sister insisted. "What's up? The book giving you trouble?"   
  
"Gemma? Where did you go?" A girl - a  _girl?_  - called from Gemma's bedroom. Gemma whirled around and Harry glanced at the bedroom door to see the girl emerge in what he recognized as Gemma's other robe. He ogled her. What was his sister doing... with a  _girl_? But the girl just smiled somewhat shyly and approached them. Her eyes, those... those looked like Colin's eyes. Wait, was she....?   
  
She didn't stick out her hand to shake, but that was probably a good thing. He didn't want to know where that hand had been. Or Gemma's hands for that matter. "Hi," she said to Harry. "I'm Dana."   
  
"Harry." he replied confused.   
  
"I know." she said. "I'm a One Direction fan, actually," She looked at Gemma. "I should get dressed. Be right back."   
  
When Dana disappeared into Gemma's room, Harry turned to her. "You're dating a  _fae girl_. You're not even a lesbian."   
  
"Well, you're not gay either, but you know." Gemma said. She blushed. "Okay, come on." she said, and led him to the couch. They sat down and Gemma looked down at the book again. "So what's up, Harry?"   
  
"There are two new names in my spell book, Gemma." Harry told her, opening to the front page. "Two names that belong to mum's students. They're thirteen. Am I going to die?"   
  
Gemma took the book from him and stared at the page as Gemma's bedroom door opened and Dana walked out and sat next to Gemma on her couch. Rather closely. Harry blinked at them both. "So, uh, how long have you guys been.... I mean, are you..."   
  
"Yes, we're together." Gemma glanced up from the book. "It hasn't been too long. I wanted to wait until we were, uh, sure." She exchanged a look with Dana, a rather private one.   
  
"I'm sure if you are," Dana told her, putting a hand over Gemma's. Then to Harry, "Neither of us have done this before. With girls. It just happened."   
  
Harry nodded. It wasn't like he could say anything to that. If his sister was happy, then he was happy for her. And naturally he didn't have anything against the fact that she was dating a girl. He was sleeping with his male bandmate. And he was pretty sure his mother wouldn't care if Gemma was dating a girl or someone who was fae anyway. Their coven was a lot more easy going than the New York one.   
  
"I don't know what to tell you, Harry," Gemma said, switching gears again. "You need to talk to Mum about this." She handed Harry the book and at Dana's confusion, she explained, "Magic stuff."   
  
"It's just... I'm freaked out. This hasn't happened before. Aunt Dee and Uncle Chris would have told me if it had. Which means it's something different, or something big, or... I don't know. What if isn't just me who's in danger?"   
  
Gemma gave Dana a quick summary of what they were talking about, that Harry could see and work with the afterlife because his name appeared in the book. She also explained what it meant when new names appeared in the book, her voice quavering a little. Dana looked from Gemma to Harry, terrified. Not only because of what the names meant, but because of the fact that it involved death in general. Louis had explained to Harry that fae aged much slower than everyone (other than vampires, who didn't at all), and they avoided death as long as possible. They could go a thousand years before they checked out. Lucky for their partners, they could pick which age they stayed the longest. Two fae who were together usually chose to stay young, but a fae who married a human or a witch could stay middle-aged for a long time if they wanted.   
  
But to give Dana credit, she listened intently and agreed with the suggestion that Harry should discuss this issue over with Anne, though the idea of freaking his mum out filled him with dread. But he knew that the longer he put this off, the worse the consequences would be.   
  
Still. He didn't like the idea .  
  
A few minutes later, he had to return to the other boys. He bid his sister and her girlfriend (girlfriend!?!) goodbye and headed to rehearsals after dropping the spell book off at home. When he emerged from the stage side, he caught Louis' eye and gave him a smile, trying to assure him that things would be okay. Even though he had no idea if they would.   
  
  
  
That night, before going to bed, Harry resolved to tell Louis what was going on. Louis clearly expected it, because he sat next to Harry in front of the safe like he had hours earlier.   
  
"Alright, I have to tell you something." Harry told him, looking up into Louis' eyes. God, this was hard. Even if it didn't mean he was going to die, it was hard. Because there was still that chance. Louis nodded expectantly. "You know what I told you about my spirit book? How my name appears in front, and when there's a new name, it means that my time is almost up? I mean... my time living."   
  
Louis stared at him for a good ten seconds before whispering, "What are you saying?"   
  
"There are two new names after mine." Harry admitted. "Two kids that my mum teaches. It makes no sense, and I don't know why the names are there. But... they are."   
  
Before Harry knew it, Louis had wrapped his arms around him in a comforting embrace. Harry rested his cheek against Louis' shoulder and Louis pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You're not going to die."   
  
"How do you know that, Lou?" Harry asked quietly. Because he  _couldn't_  possibly know that.   
  
"Because you're Harry and I won't let you." Louis replied. "Because if you're not by my side, I'll have absolutely  _no_  purpose. So you're  _not_  going to die."   
  
That was a nice sentiment and all, but that didn't really have any power against the book. "But I might. We still have to prepare for it. And if I do, it could be anything. I could get into a car crash... or, like... be  _assassinated_ -"   
  
" _Stop_  talking like that, Harry." Louis ordered, and pressed his lips against Harry's firmly. Harry kissed back because it was really the only thing he  _could_  do. He didn't want to think about death, and he didn't want to think about what the names meant. All he wanted was Louis. So much so that he didn't object when Louis began to take Harry's clothes off of him and get naked as well. He pressed his lips to Harry's neck, breathing out words of love and encouragement, that they would always be together, and nothing would change that. Harry smiled at that because Louis could be quite sappy when he tried, even though he didn't usually act that way around fans or even friends.   
  
Louis lay Harry back and this time made love to him much more gently than he had the night before as he kissed Harry's worries momentarily away.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
But the next morning, it was back to reality. They didn't have to be anywhere too early today, so Harry told them all over breakfast what was going on. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea because Niall nearly choked on his food when Harry told them the news. Zayn actually looked scared, and Liam seemed like he didn't know what to believe.   
  
"But you're not  _really_  going to die, right?" Niall asked as soon as he managed to swallow his food. Then he pushed his plate away even though he still had half of his breakfast left to eat, a first for him.   
  
Harry tried not to let on how scared he was. "I... I don't actually know. The thing is, this has never happened before. I don't know what it means if there are  _two_  new names, not to mention if they're already teenagers. I also looked in the book, in the back because it lists the rules, and it says  _nothing_  about it. But in case something happens to me...."   
  
"Harry," Louis put an arm around his shoulders. "Like I said, nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let it."   
  
" _We_  won't let it." Zayn corrected. Niall and Liam nodded in agreement.   
  
"I feel sort of bad," Liam said suddenly. "Going away while you're dealing with this. I should really stay home."   
  
"No," Harry told him. "Go. You have an obligation to X Factor. I'll stay out of trouble. I promise. It's not like you can just  _not_  go choose your contestants. You have to go and choose the best ones, alright?"   
  
Reluctantly, Liam nodded. "Alright, but I  _will_  call every day. And when I get back, we're going to figure all this out. All of us, together. You're not in this alone."   
  
Harry nodded. Liam wouldn't be gone too long. Harry would try to investigate some, but he had to admit that it comforted him to have all of his boys around him in case something he found out wasn't something he wanted to know. He  _wanted_  the guys there when he confronted coven members. He wanted to be able to lean on them. He wanted them  _all_  there. It was ridiculous, but he barely knew how to function without them anymore.   
  
  
  
So Liam left a few days later, his promise to call as much as possible still standing. Harry searched through his spell book each day in case there was something he had missed. He kept busy doing obligations with the other boys as well. He knew that he couldn't just stay home the whole time. He couldn't live in fear that he would be struck dead by lightning or something. He made sure to stick close to Louis, or if Louis wasn't around, the other lads.   
  
Liam called when he got to Florida, but he didn't after that. Harry was a little confused about that because usually when Liam said he was going to do something, he  _did it_. Liam did send the occasional text, checking in to make sure Harry was alright, but. didn't say much else. They all bombarded him with questions, asking him which category he was mentoring, how the contestants were, but Liam didn't talk about the competition. He was unusually quiet.   
  
  
  
The day Liam was supposed to get back home from Florida, where he had gone to judges' houses (he had bought a house there a few months ago because he didn't really want to mooch off of anyone else's luxurious home), he was a few hours late. Niall, of course, was the one who was most worried, and he made the others check the flight information. But, no... the flight Liam was on had gotten in on time. It had been hours ago. A car was supposed to have picked him up at the airport and brought him home. Where the hell was he?  
  
They tried phoning him as well, but there was no answer. To calm Niall down, they put on a movie he loved while Louis, Zayn, and Harry spoke in the kitchen.   
  
"This isn't like him." Louis said. "It's like me, maybe, but not Liam of all people."   
  
"Seriously. I'm going to punch him if he doesn't have a good reason for this. He hasn't even called to say he'll be late. I texted him and told him as much." Zayn said. Then he looked to Harry. "Can you get a read on him? Some magic GPS type thing?"   
  
Harry was embarrassed to admit that he'd tried. He was able to track Louis easily because they were so close, and he could usually track the others. But right now no matter how much magic he used and concentrated on, he couldn't find Liam. "No. And we really do not need this right now. Don't punch him, Zayn, but we  _will_  have to yell at him. Should we inform everyone?" _Everyone_  meant their management and other people from Syco. Also, he meant Liam's parents. "Maybe he's gone home?"   
  
"He'd tell us." Zayn said. He sounded so sure.   
  
They decided to go back into the living room and tell Niall what they were going to do. To his credit, Niall listened and nodded, agreeing that they should inform everyone. Because the last time any of them had actually gone missing, they had been in trouble. Harry shuddered, remembering that he and Louis had been kidnapped. At least they had been together, thankfully.   
  
Then Niall said, "Maybe before you call, you should-"   
  
Niall stopped in mid-sentence when there was a loud noise out front. It sounded like something crashing or falling over. There was someone by their front door. But... not knocking or ringing the doorbell or anything.  _Weird_.   
  
"I'll go," Harry volunteered. If it was some crazy fangirl or an eighty year old creeper, he could get them to go away easily. The other lads would have much more trouble with that. Not that they often had too many fans or creepers stalking them at their house, which was surprising, but the fans had eased up on that a lot over the years.   
  
He stood and walked to the front door, opening it. He found Liam standing there staring back at him. "Look who's back from Florida! How long have you been standing there?"   
  
"Uh," Liam hesitated. "Not  _too_  long. Just... a little while."  
  
Harry stepped forward. Something was wrong with him. "You look pale. Are you ill? Need some tea or something?"   
  
Liam shook his head. "No... no, I'm fine. Uh... can I come in?"   
  
Well,  _that_  was a weird thing to ask. "Duh, mate. Of course you can come in. It's  _your_  house as well."  
  
"Thanks," Liam replied. He clutched his suitcase in his right hand and stepped into the house after Harry, shutting the door behind him. Since Harry had gotten up, Louis, Zayn, and Niall had as well. Louis was staring at Liam like he was pretty sure Liam  _was_  ill, or at least he recognized something was wrong.   
  
Zayn and Niall didn't realize any of that however. They moved to hug Liam and Harry began to join them.  
Just as everyone stepped forward, Louis spoke. "Wait. Don't touch him."   
  
Harry turned around and saw that Louis' eyes were narrowed. Something was wrong. He took a step toward Louis while Niall and Zayn stayed next to Liam. "Louis? What's wrong?"  _What do you know_?  
  
"Guys, step away from Liam for a second." Louis instructed. "Liam, why were you outside for so long without knocking or ringing the bell?"   
  
Liam frowned. He looked embarrassed.  _What_  was going on?   
  
"You had to be invited in, didn't you?"   
  
Liam didn't say anything in response. He dropped his suitcase and looked like he was contemplating making a run for it. But he didn't. He stood awkwardly, and then nodded, looking toward the window. Harry blinked. That couldn't actually mean what he thought it meant. But Louis looked dead serious and Liam looked dead terrified. But no. This wasn't possible. Was it?  _How_?   
  
Niall and Zayn still didn't get it. Louis didn't seem to care. He stepped forward toward Liam as everyone else stepped back. "Liam... how the  _hell_  did you get turned into a vampire?"   
  
"He's a  _what_!?" Niall screeched. He took a giant step toward Zayn just as Zayn reached out to wrap an arm around Niall's shoulder.   
  
"I didn't mean to! It's not my fault!" Liam cried, bringing his hands up to cover his face. Louis had no regard for Liam's personal space right now. He got up in his face and took Liam's hand, gently easing it away from him. When Liam's hand was no longer covering his eyes, nose, and mouth, the four boys had a very clear view of...   
  
Of  _fangs_. 


	3. Chapter 3

_A few days prior_    
  
  
Liam rubbed his forehead, looking down at the photos of contestants in front of him. He had not gotten the groups. Instead, he had gotten the boys category. The category he'd failed at his first time on the X Factor, and the one he just missed out on by being put in a group his second time. Not that he didn't love how things turned out. That wasn't true at all. He  _loved_  the guys, and his favorite memory of being on the X Factor both years was being put together with the guys as a band. He'd been a little hesitant at first, but it had been the best decision. He'd gained four new best friends and three new brothers. He didn't really consider Niall his brother because that would be weird.   
  
His thoughts were drifting. How was he supposed to make this decision? Pixie Lott had flown over to Florida to help him out, as was the tradition on the X Factor, but she had just retired for the night. Liam had wanted to stay up a little longer, give this decision everything he had. He'd decided on three guys so far.   
  
"Liam?"   
  
Liam looked up to find one of the guys he was actually trying to decide on, Cody Elliot, standing there. Cody was an eighteen year old student who had sailed through the initial auditions and boot camp. His song today hadn't been that great, which was why Liam wasn't sure whether he was going to put him through to the live shows or not.   
  
"Cody, you shouldn't be here." Liam informed him. "While I'm making the decisions, you should be off sleeping or having fun.  _Something_  other than hanging out with me." He hoped he sounded stern enough. It worried him that he wouldn't be taken seriously because of his age. "You could get disqualified," he warned.   
  
Instead of listening, Cody sat down across from Liam, frowning. "I didn't do my best today, did I?"   
  
"I'm really supposed to cover all that tomorrow-"   
  
"But," Cody interrupted. "I have a proposition to make. I know I'm good-"   
  
"And modest too," Liam quipped. He couldn't help himself. Why was this guy still here?   
  
Cody ignored that. "And I want you to give me a chance. I will do...  _anything_." He eyed Liam up and down meaningfully, "If you give me a chance and put me through to the live shows."   
  
Liam swallowed. Oh fucking hell. This was  _not_  happening. Not to him, not during his first year as an X Factor judge! "Cody, you need to leave. I'm disqualifying you. Pack your bags and leave."   
  
"I don't think so." Cody replied, smirking. Liam stared at him, wide-eyed. The guy had seemed so nice and normal during his audition and boot camp. He'd even seemed nice and normal earlier today. What was happening? Why was Cody suddenly getting up from his spot, and instead of leaving, sitting  _next_  to Liam, hardly leaving any space between them at all?   
  
"You have a lot of nerve, Cody. A  _lot_  of nerve. Do you think that I would just...  _accept_  this? I don't take bribes. Not from guys, not from  _anyone_." Liam said sternly. "Even if I  _were_  ... like that... I wouldn't. It's inappropriate. You're officially disqualified, Cody. Please leave now."   
  
But Cody just smiled. "Like  _that_? You mean, you're  _not_?" Then the boy placed a hand over Liam's crotch. Softly, seductively. "Because I can pick up on feelings quite well and you seem to be conflicted about your sexuality. Who has you all confused, Liam? Is it Harry? Louis?  _Niall_?"   
  
"I, I- I'm  _not_ ," Liam stammered. How had it gotten this far? "Please just go.  _Please_. I'll give you another audition tomorrow morning if you just... just go."   
  
"Hmmmm," Cody mused, leaning in close to Liam's neck. Liam could feel Cody's tongue against his skin and he shuddered. "You do smell good, Liam.  _Really_  good."   
  
"Don't-" Liam begged. Something about him was dangerous. Something wasn't right. Something... something was really, really  _sharp_. Liam pulled his head away and gaped at Cody, who now had two  _fangs_. "You're a  _vampire_." Liam accused, standing up. "I... I...  _no_." He had invited Cody into his home. Now Cody could come in whenever he felt like it. They were outside right now, but... but...  _no_! He backed away, wishing he had a stake, or something wooden at least. Or matches! He could set Cody on fire. Wait, what was he thinking? He couldn't set a guy on fire! But as Cody approached him again, grinning menacingly, it seemed like he  _wasn't_  a guy. He was a monster. "Do you get off on coming after celebrities or something?" Liam spat out, continuing to move backward.   
  
"You don't seem too surprised that vampires exist." Cody observed, walking closer. "Encountered my kind before, have you?"   
  
Liam hit something and realized that he had backed himself against the side of the house. He looked around. There was no escape route, though Cody could just follow him easily if there was. It was a wonder Cody hadn't torn him open already. This was probably just a game of cat and mouse to him.   
  
Then Cody moved so fast, Liam had no time pull away. Suddenly Liam was pinned up against the wall, Cody's body pressed against his. Once again, Cody's lips were on his neck and he could feel the tips of his fangs. Cody reached down and rubbed his hand against Liam's crotch. And  _fuck_ , it actually felt nice. He didn't want it. He didn't. But that didn't mean being touched didn't feel... still... "Cody,  _please_ ,"   
  
"Too late," Cody whispered. "You rejected my offer. You were going to send me home. Here's the thing. I  _could_  just make you forget this ever happened. But that won't get me through to the live shows, would it? So I have another idea. A much more fun idea. I didn't want to become a vampire. I got turned last year." His tongue brushed under Liam's ear now. "And if I turn  _you_ , you'll be the first person I turned. Well, successfully. The first few I tried to turn died."   
  
" _What the fuck-_ "   
  
"And this way, I don't  _have_  to take your memory. It's much more fun for me if you have to live with this secret as well. You can put me through to the live shows. And here's here's the real kicker. If I turn you, I can make you do little odds and ends for me. I can make you stake yourself if I feel like it. Isn't that great?"   
  
"No.  _Cody_ -"   
  
"That's not to say it's all that bad. You can walk in the sun, you know. It only affects you a little. What am I saying? Of course you know. You know another vampire. Tell me who."   
  
" _No_." No way was he going to give him Isabel's name. Isabel may not be a terrible person (anymore) and she hated most other vampires (because they were like this), but he didn't want them networking, comparing notes on the tastes of different blood types.   
  
"And you can't tell me you're not at least a little gay. You're getting hard." Cody said. His fangs were pressed against Liam's skin now. They were almost digging in. "You at least want to get off."   
  
"I  _don't_. It's a natural reaction when being touched. Get  _off_  of me!" Liam ordered, trying to push him away.   
  
Cody chuckled. "Feisty!" And with that, he sank his fangs deep into Liam's neck and began to drink.   
  
And suddenly... it wasn't so bad. It actually felt really, really good.   
  
So good, in fact, that he wanted more. He wanted Cody to drink from him forever. And  _oh god_  his hand was moving again. This time he moaned with pleasure as Cody's hand dove into Liam's loose trousers. Cody wrapped a hand around Liam's dick, moving it up and down skillfully. Oh  _god_ , what was he doing with his thumb? Where had he learned that? "Don't stop that," Liam moaned. "Please don't."   
  
"Mmhmm," Cody said as he drank. His hand moved rapidly, his vampire speed something Liam was suddenly grateful for. Liam was painfully hard and with each stroke, Cody brought him closer to the edge.   
  
"Oh... god.  _Cody_ ," Liam said after a few minutes. He felt slightly weak now, probably from all the blood Cody was drinking, but he didn't care. "I'm going to come."   
  
And he did. He groaned as he jerked forward, releasing himself into Cody's hand. "Oh my god," he breathed. It took him a moment to come down from it.   
  
Then Cody stopped drinking.   
  
Liam blinked. Wait... what had just happened. What... Cody stepped away, just slightly, grinning triumphantly. Liam felt dizzy, but suddenly he also felt really,  _really_  angry. "What the  _hell_  did you do?" he demanded. " _What did you do_?"   
  
"It was the first step." Cody explained.   
  
"Giving me a  _handjob_  was the first step?" Liam shot back. "A handjob against my will?"   
  
"No." Cody said, lifting up his left wrist. "That was just a bonus gift, and I did it so you would relax. The  _next_  step is for you to drink from me. Then a few minutes later you'll die, and then you'll come back to life as a vampire in the morning. Simple."   
  
"Cody, please-"   
  
But Cody didn't listen. He bit his wrist and held it up to Liam's lips. "Drink or I  _will_  snap your neck."   
  
Liam had no choice.   
  
  
  
The next morning, Liam woke up in his bed. He had no idea how he had gotten there. After he had finished drinking from Cody's wrist, he had collapsed... or so he thought. The details were fuzzy. But suddenly, he was here. He hated to think that Cody might have carried him up to his room, but it was beginning to look that way. How creepy.   
  
And then Liam remembered... oh god, he and Cody had drank each other's blood. Cody had been trying to turn him into a vampire. Had it worked? Liam hoped not, but considering what Cody had said last night, the alternative was being dead permanently.   
  
He got out of bed, noticing that Cody had creepily stripped him down to his boxers, and walked to the bedroom window. He opened the curtains and the sunlight streamed in. But there was something wrong with it. It was  _way_  too bright. Not so bright that it hurt, but he couldn't see for a few seconds. And when his eyes adjusted, it was still unusually bright.   
  
And that was when he realized he was hungry. Normally he would go downstairs and get some food, but the idea of eating made him feel sick. He was hungry, sure, but not for food. For  _life force_. For...   
  
"Blood," he whispered aloud.   
  
Liam closed his eyes. This was a nightmare. It had to be.   
  
But ... it wasn't. He suddenly remembered. He remembered Cody's hand down his pants, Cody's mouth on his neck, and Cody's wrist at his lips. He remembered drinking Cody's blood, thinking,  _Oh, this doesn't taste so bad_ , and then realizing it was probably an effect of Cody already drinking his blood. It was horrifying. And then, when he'd gotten weak, he'd had to sit down. Cody, feigning concern, had kneeled beside him, smoothing his hair, assuring him it would all be over soon. And then he'd died.  _Died_.  
  
He'd fucking  _died_.   
  
But... now he was (sort of) alive. And he needed to drink blood, or he would probably die  _again_. He felt like his throat was closing up, and the sun was getting way too unbearable. Crap, crap, _crap_. Maybe Cody had meant to kill him all along.  
  
There was a knock on his door, then, and Liam didn't even have to answer it or ask who it was to  _know_  it was Cody. He sensed him, and the whole idea of it made him shudder. The door swung open, and there was Cody, with some adult woman Liam didn't know. She looked kind of ratty. Perhaps she was homeless? Her face was subdued, like she knew what she was here for. Had Cody  _hypnotized_  her?  
  
"What are you doing here?"   
  
"God, don't worry, Liam. I'll be out before everyone else arrives. It's still early. Not that you bothered to look at the clock, with your vision."   
  
"The sun-" Liam began. He couldn't even describe it, though. Had they never thought to ask Isabel about the sun? They'd seen her walking around during the day, so they had all probably just figured that the myths about vampires dying in the sun were false.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Been there. The thing is, you'll go blind if you don't feed. So I brought you a snack." Cody gestured to the woman, who  _still_  didn't betray any fear.  _Definitely hypnotized_ , Liam thought. Cody shoved the woman forward and then said, "Feel free to drain her. She won't be missed."   
  
"I'm not going to to kill some innocent woman." Liam shot back. "I already have enough to deal with, thanks to you. Now that you've done  _this_ , I have to put you through to the live shows. I have to, or you'll make me hurt myself. Is that it?"   
  
Cody rolled his eyes and sat on the bed. "Seriously, I thought this being a vampire thing would give you perspective. Yeah, obviously you have to put me through now. If you don't, I'll make you stake yourself. But think of what I gave you in return. Immortality, strength, speed, awesome senses-"   
  
"The urge to kill." Liam muttered, eyeing the woman. She was closer than she had been before and Liam could smell her blood now. For someone who looked like she smelled bad, she smelled so  _good_. Liam felt a sharp pain on the roof of his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut. He knew what was happening. He knew he was growing fangs. He reached up and sure enough, he felt them. It was so freaking  _weird_  to feel fangs in his mouth.   
  
"Drink, Liam." Cody ordered, pointing to the woman. And something about the command physically forced Liam to move toward the woman. He walked up to her, against his own will, like his legs controlled themselves. Well, more like Cody controlled them. He stepped in front of the woman now, who just looked up at him with wide-eyes. But she wasn't scared. He wished she was scared. Because she smelled so good, and if she showed fear, maybe it would help him retain some humanity. But Cody wasn't finished with his demands. "Drink her until she's dead."   
  
Liam closed his eyes, and then when he opened them, he told the woman, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."   
  
She didn't respond. She didn't seem to care. So, like Cody told him to, he sank his new fangs into her neck and began to drink.  
  
  
  
 _Day of Liam's return_  
  
  
"I am going to kill him. I'm going to find him and I'm going to  _stake_  him before he even sets foot on that stage." Louis said, fully aware his voice dripped with fury. He couldn't believe this had happened to Liam, of all people. Liam, who had been open-minded, yet distant, from the supernatural world. Liam, who was having a hard enough time with life as it was at the moment. And now Liam was a vampire. A  _bloodsucker_.   
  
No. Wait. That was a PAUSE term. PAUSE had raised him to believe that vampires were all monsters. And, well, that hadn't been proven incorrect yet. Zayn might have had a thing for Isabel, but Louis had remained chilly toward her. He just couldn't trust her after she tried to kill him, even if it was in "self-defense." But now here Liam was, a newly turned vampire, and Louis  _had_  to trust him. Even if he was  _this_  now. Could he? Wouldn't this change Liam for the worst?   
  
"No," Liam said quietly. "You can't, Louis. Because if you go try to stake him, all he has to do is get it the words 'Liam stake yourself' before you do it to him. I'm as good as dead if  _he's_  dead."  
  
"We can't just let this guy go on TV. Thousands of innocent people will be in the audience week after week. What if he kills one of them?" Louis asked.  _What if YOU kill one of them?_    
  
Liam frowned and looked away, ashamed. Suddenly, Louis was pretty embarrassed himself. Liam could pick up on the fact that Louis wasn't sure he could trust him. It wasn't like Liam could help what he was now. He'd been turned into this by force. Because it was a game to this kid.   
  
"Liam," Harry said, speaking up for the first time in minutes. Beside him, Niall sat seething. Louis was surprised he wasn't on a rampage right about now. "This guy, he hurt you. He drank your blood, killed you, turned you... and he kind of sexually assaulted you, mate."   
  
At that, Liam buried his face in his hands. "Crap. Crap. Fuck. Shit. Crap."   
  
Then Niall stood up. "You know what?  _I_  am going to stake him. That fucker isn't going to get away with this."   
  
"Don't, Niall." Liam said, looking up at him. "Don't. I'll deal with this. I'll just give him what he wants, and he can go away after he's off the show."   
  
"Unless he gets signed," Zayn pointed out. "Because he might. Is he good?"   
  
"Pretty good." Liam admitted. "Even if his Florida audition sucked a little. He's usually really good. And the thing is, if he meets anyone connected to music, he could hypnotize them into signing them. If he meets Simon, for example..." Liam didn't finish his sentence. The idea of Simon Cowell under the influence of a teenage vampire was just too much. "Anyway, if any of you try to stake him, he'll probably kill you or turn you as well. He knows One Direction. He knows who you all are. So you have to lay low. He doesn't even know that you guys know about supernaturals and I promise I didn't tell him about Isabel."   
  
"What happened after you drank from the woman, Liam?" Harry asked. Louis watched as Harry put a trusting hand on Liam's arm, and Liam looked up gratefully. Maybe he'd expected to be kicked out of the band, but none of them, not even Louis despite his reservations about vampires, would ever do that. They were One Direction, and they couldn't be the band without any of them. Louis actually admired Harry for letting Liam know that, and even though Harry's life might have been in danger, he was pretty damn sure it wasn't because of Liam. "Did you actually kill her?"   
  
Liam nodded, looking down again, ashamed. "I told you. Cody can order me around. If he gives me a command, I physically have to follow it. So I drained her, and then Cody took her body somewhere before everything got set up for the results. I haven't had blood from anyone else yet. But Cody did make more advances on me." Louis noticed Liam look up at Niall just a little when he said that. "Anyway, the more I feed, the better my vision is. I'm alright right now because I drank that whole woman." Louis couldn't help but shudder a little. "I don't know what I'll do for feeding. It's not like I've had proper vampire training. And my understanding is that Isabel drank from people, right Zayn?"   
  
Zayn said, "Yeah. But she didn't kill them. No matter what she boasted about. She wanted to seem tough because it's hard being the person that everybody wants to kill."   
  
"I could sneak you some blood." Harry offered. "You know, those blood bags, like vampires on the telly drink. It would be easy enough. I could just freeze the whole hospital, or wherever, grab the bags, and go. Because, dude, we're not going to let you try to kill people."   
  
"Thanks, Harry," Liam said, smiling gratefully. "Because I have to say, you all smell really good right about now."   
  
There was an awkward silence. The four non-vampire bandmates all looked at each other, worried.   
  
"Come on, guys, I was joking!" Liam said, shaking his head. "I'm not going to eat you. God, guys."   
  
"Heh, good." Zayn replied, though he looked a bit nervous now.   
  
"What if I freeze him and  _then_  we stake him?" Harry suggested. Louis had to admit that it seemed like that would work... except for one thing. Despite the nods around the room, Louis spoke up.   
  
"Staking Cody either way will hurt me." Liam revealed. "I'll get depressed and probably have less of a hold on my humanity than I do now. Like it or not, I'm connected to him. Believe me, I _wish_  it were easy to just get rid of him. I guess... I have to try to reason with him. Vampire to vampire."   
  
Louis wanted to say  _like that'll work,_  sarcastically but he thought better of it for once. Louis didn't really understand Liam's mindset. Well, he understood that Liam wanted to hold on to his humanity, but to want to reason with someone who violated him. But now Liam's mindset wasn't exactly the same as it used to be. Things were much different now.   
  
There was another silence now. Not an awkward one, just more of a  _what do we do now_  silence.  
  
"Louis, can I talk to you?" Liam asked. He cast a strange glance at the other guys. "Alone, I mean."   
  
"Um-"   
  
Liam looked back at Louis. "You can keep a stake with you if you want. If it makes you feel better about it."   
  
"No, no. It's fine. Go on, guys." Louis said to Niall, Zayn, and Harry. They all listened immediately, standing up. Harry gave Louis' hand a squeeze before he smiled nervously and exited the room. Louis couldn't help being nervous. Liam was a  _vampire_. Louis knew too well what Liam was capable of now. But he had to be sure. He looked over at the bookshelf, which held a locked safe, a smaller version of the one in his and Harry's room. The safe held stakes. Maybe he should... just in case...   
  
No. No, that was stupid. He was still Liam. Just... with fangs. And super speed. And a blood craving. And flashing red eyes when he got angry. Oh god, that was  _so_  not Liam.   
  
"Louis, I know you're kind of freaked out. You have... a history with vampires." Liam began. He offered Louis a little smile.   
  
"No, really, I'm fine." Louis squeaked out. Clearly it wasn't true. Oh yeah, he had a history with vampires. And it wasn't just Isabel. He'd been trained to fight and stake vampires if he needed to, though he'd never done so. He'd seen Adrian behead one.   
  
"No. You're not. You don't like vampires and I don't blame you. I don't like them much myself." Liam said. "But Louis, I  _promise_  that you have nothing to worry about with me. I would  _never_ hurt any of you. Or anyone. It's not who I am, and even when it's hard to hang on to my humanity... I would never do anything to you. You're my best friends and that's more important than wanting blood. Even if you don't believe me."   
  
He  _did_  believe Liam. Or at least he believed that  _Liam_  believed it. The fact was that Liam might not be able to control it if he got too hungry. What would he do then, if there was no extra blood around and there was just one of the guys? He didn't know his limits. He  _didn't know_.   
  
"Liam, I know. So for now we're going to help you so that you  _don't_  feel like attacking us, even if you say you won't."   
  
"I won't. I promise I won't." Liam said, paraphrasing what he had just said. "You're all safe. I'd never... I swear. Even if I act like a bloodthirsty idiot."   
  
"What about Niall?" Louis asked suddenly. He wasn't sure why he was bringing that up now, but he couldn't exactly take it back.   
  
"What about him?"   
  
Louis shrugged. "Just be smart about it, alright? He was the one who could barely keep it together when you were late getting home. He loves you and for whatever reason you're pulling away. It's sad to see. And Harry, Zayn, and I don't want either of you hurting each other."   
  
Liam nodded quietly, and then gave him a little smile. "When did  _you_  get so responsible? Are  _you_  giving  _me_  a lecture?"   
  
"I really feel like I should go do something illegal." Louis replied, chuckling. "I do have a reputation to maintain."   
  
"Maybe you're  _finally_  maturing."   
  
Louis made his best  _ew, gross_  face. "I hope not! I never want to grow up."   
  
"I hate to break it to you, mate, but you're almost twenty-five."   
  
Louis grinned and shoved his fingers into his ears. " _I can't hear you!_ "   
  
Liam was definitely still Liam, much to Louis' relief. He was still joking with him, and best of all, he wasn't pinning him against the wall threatening to kill him, like  _some_  vampires would. Like Isabel actually had.   
  
Soon, they called the other boys back, and they entered the room tentatively, as if they had expected Liam and Louis to kill each other in their absence. But instead, they found Louis smiling when Liam turned to Harry. "Harry, I never did ask. Has everything been okay, with... the spirit thing?"   
  
Harry shrugged as he sat down next to Louis. Louis draped an arm over Harry's shoulder out of habit. Harry put a hand on Louis' knee and squeezed it. Louis dared to shoot Harry a dirty grin, and then caught Zayn's eye. Zayn rolled his eyes and mouthed,  _So gay_.   
  
"Well, I haven't died yet, have I? I was thinking we could all go talk to my mum together. I'd like to have back-up in case she gets hysterical or starts crying. Gemma and her girlfriend are coming as well, and-" Harry stopped mid-sentence and realized what he'd just said. Louis nudged him as Liam, Niall, and Zayn all stared at him in shock. Harry had only told Louis about Dana, because obviously they shared everything. Louis had immediately asked if Dana was hot and if Gemma and Dana were a hot couple, to which Harry had said something like  _I don't know, Lou, she's my sister!_  But Louis had insisted that Harry judge the situation anyway, even if it was awkward, and Harry had conceded, admitting that if Gemma weren't his  _sister_  it would be kind of hot. But since she was his sister, it was just  _weird_.   
  
And then he'd called Louis weird. Louis had apologized for being odd by giving Harry a blowjob.   
  
"Gemma has a  _girlfriend_. Like, a proper lesbian girlfriend and they-" Zayn began, intrigued.   
  
"Stop!" Harry said. "Okay, yeah. But I'm not sure if I was supposed to tell you. And it's weird, so don't say anything filthy, or I will kill you. Or I will get Liam to kill you."   
  
"Harry, my vampirism is not a weapon," Liam scolded. And then he smiled. "And it  _is_  kind of hot."   
  
Harry reddened. "Of all of the people I thought I could count on, Liam..."   
  
"Now whenever you watch lesbian porn, you'll know what your sister does." Niall contributed, clearly amused. "Though I don't know if real lesbians actually can get into all those positions. We should ask Gemma and this girlfriend of hers."   
  
" _Guys_ ," Harry whined, covering his ears.   
  
Louis chuckled and sat back, listening to the scene. Harry had brought it upon himself.   
  
Best of all, it seemed almost normal right now.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The next day was quite busy. They didn't actually have any obligations, which was rare, but they would tomorrow. Instead, they spent the day dealing with their different supernatural ordeals.   
  
First thing in the morning, Harry stole blood for Liam. It was easy enough, and even though Harry did feel bad about stealing it, he figured that it was a small crime compared to Liam going on a killing spree. Also, Liam couldn't really control his own abilities yet. He hadn't slept, of course, so he spent the night and the morning trying to get the hang of vampire speed. He would move around the house in the blink of an eye, which was impressive, but also kind of strange. He hadn't tried to hypnotize any of them, but he had mastered controlling his fangs overnight. That was so Liam, always the overachiever.   
  
They decided to keep the blood in the small refrigerator in the basement. It mostly had beer in it, so it was quite a sight to see blood bags sitting beside beer bottles and cans. But Liam was very grateful for the fact that the guys hadn't kicked him out.   
  
Harry also noticed that Liam turning into a vampire didn't change Niall's feelings toward him at all. Rather, Niall was even  _more_  drawn to Liam than before. He kept staring at Liam, and this time when he was caught, he  _didn't_  look away. The boy was hopelessly in love, and Harry hoped that Liam could pick up on that and finally take care of whatever was going on between them.   
  
  
Later on in the day, they all visited Harry's mother. All five boys as well as Gemma and Dana. The boys all arrived at Harry's home in Holmes Chapel first. Lucky for Liam, Anne was big on exclaiming, "Come in, all of you! My five sons!" That was invitation enough. Though she did give them a weird look about coming through the front door. Usually Harry would transport themselves into Harry's room at home.   
  
While Anne prepared tea for them (they all insisted that they would help, but Anne shushed them and sent them into the living room to greet Gemma and Dana), the boys waited for the girls. When Gemma and Dana appeared, they were holding hands and Louis began to "Aww" until Harry nudged him in his side.   
  
They looked around, and then Dana saw the five of them.  
  
At the sight of Liam, Dana tensed, grabbing onto Gemma's arm for dear life. Harry watched the scene, realizing that maybe he should have cleared Liam's new-found vampirism with Gemma and Dana before bringing him here. But the problem was that Liam hardly even  _acted_  like a vampire. He still made bad jokes, participated in banter, endured random embraces from all the boys. He was still  _him_ , or at least Harry thought so. So in a moment of stupidity he'd forgotten to mention this.   
  
"What's wrong?" Gemma whispered into Dana's ear. Harry couldn't hear her, but he could read her lips. Dana whispered something back and Gemma all but gasped, ogling Liam as if she'd never seen him before. Well, she hadn't seen  _this_  him.   
  
And poor Liam had caught on to the whispers, and he'd probably heard them with his new super-hearing. He just stared at Gemma and Dana blankly as Gemma stepped forward, approaching him.   
  
"You're a vampire now? How on earth did  _that_  happen?" Gemma asked.   
  
Liam frowned sadly. "I got turned against my will in Florida. I guess... that's Dana, right?" Gemma nodded while Dana was frozen in terror. He looked up at her. "How do you know?"   
  
"She's fae." Gemma revealed. She turned to Dana then. "You sensed that he's a vampire."   
  
"Yes." Dana choked out. Harry looked at Louis sharply. Maybe he should have mentioned that Dana was fae to him. After all, he knew about how the supernatural groups got along. Isabel had worked with some fae a few years ago to help bring down PAUSE, but that didn't mean it was in a fae's nature to get along with vampires. "But I can sense his intentions as well. They _seem_  to be good."   
  
"They  _are_  good. I'm good." Liam insisted.  
  
"Come on, Dana. You said you were a One Direction fan." Harry reminded her.   
  
She looked back at him pointedly. "You failed to mention Liam was a vampire."   
  
"It  _just_  happened." He told her. "I promise, he's got it under control. He's been living with us since he came home from Florida and he hasn't bitten any of us in the night." He glanced at Niall, warning him not to make a dirty joke about that. Niall just smiled back innocently, though Harry was sure that whatever was going through Niall's mind was anything but innocent.   
  
"Anyway, we're here for Harry." Louis announced, stepping forward as well. He offered Dana a hand, braver than Harry had been the first time he met her. "It's an honor to meet Gemma's lesbian lover. I have so many questions."   
  
"Louis," Gemma said in a warning voice. "Anyway, let's go see Mum. It's about time she learned about Harry's issue anyway."   
  
  
  
Anne, as expected, did not take the news too well. To her credit, she didn't burst into tears (too much) and she didn't faint or accidentally cast a spell despite her overwhelming emotions. However, she did have to sit down at the kitchen table, and as she did so, she grabbed Harry and hugged him for dear life. "This isn't happening. This can't happen."  
  
"I... just needed to make you aware." he replied, though he kind of felt like she was suffocating him with her hug. "But I'm going to figure this out."   
  
"How?" Zayn asked, though he was mostly just in the background with the others, letting Harry and Anne have a mother and son moment.   
  
Anne finally released Harry and he turned back to his friends and shrugged. "I don't know. I think asking spirits would be the best idea, because they know what's going on. But I'm not sure if I can actually  _do_  that anymore. Now that the book has Gabe and Alysa's names. But it would be good to ask, I suppose. There's really only one way I can do that, though, if I want to make sure it won't kill me."   
  
"What's that?" Gemma asked, crossing her arms.   
  
"Travel back to a time I actually spoke to spirits. And I haven't actually done it since... well, since Charles turned Adrian in." Harry said. He'd thought of the plan a few hours ago, and it seemed good enough. That way he could talk to Charles without having to invoke him. He would already been inside Adrian's body. "I could go back to 2011 and ask him to come talk to me now, in  _this_  time. I'll give him specific instructions. I know time passes weirdly in the spirit world, but if they have something to go by, then it should be alright."   
  
There were a mutters around the room, mostly agreeing that it was most likely Harry's only option. Louis nodded approvingly. Harry looked around at the others. Niall and Liam looked worried for him, but like they knew it was the only possibility. Zayn's face was unreadable, but then again, Harry didn't expect anything less. Gemma was trying to comfort a very freaked out Dana, who, like all fae, hated death  _a lot_.  
  
Eventually, Anne seemed to calm down, though Harry knew she would be worried until this matter was resolved. Gemma took that opportunity to introduce Dana as "not just her friend." It was just the change of tune they needed. Anne, momentarily putting aside her momentous worry for her son, questioned Gemma and Dana about  _everything_. It gave Harry and his bandmates the opportunity to learn the girls' history as well. Apparently they had met at a writing class Gemma took a year ago. Harry remembered that as well - his sister had seemed unusually cheery midway through the class, and he thought she was just getting good grades or had a crush on her professor or something. But  _nope_. Though they didn't get together until recently, they'd become fast friends.   
  
Harry was actually pleased that his mum didn't seem weirded out by the fact that Gemma was dating a girl. After all, he was already with Louis. But his family had always been pretty open minded. His mum had raised him to be fairly pleasant to everyone no matter what, and that was good, because that had helped Harry along when he'd been dealing with his feelings for Louis. It hadn't been much of a struggle because it ... well, it just was what it was. Louis, raised to be open-minded about these things, had struggled a little more because these types differences hadn't been nearly  _as_  discussed in his families.   
  
Overall, it was a fairly mixed visit. When Harry and the other boys left, Harry promised his mum that he would keep her updated as much as possible about the situation. If he hadn't died yet, he would probably be alright until he figured out what was going on. Well, hopefully. But he knew that he would be traveling back to 2011 the next night, after they had done all their gigs and other obligations for the day.  
  
  
That night, Liam came to Harry and asked him if he, Louis, and Zayn could go out for a little while because he wanted to "talk" to Niall. Harry asked, "Are you sure he'd be fine with you here alone?"   
  
Liam nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure. I can sense his feelings now, remember?"   
  
So Harry gathered Louis and Zayn and they went out for the evening, sneaking past Niall as he watched a special about Justin Bieber on television.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Niall looked up when the television suddenly turned off. He found Liam standing at the side, holding the remote. "What're you doing? Where are the others?" Now that he thought about it, it had been kind of quiet for the past few minutes, which was unusual.   
  
"They left. So we could talk." Liam said. He stepped forward and held out his hand. "Come to the basement with me."   
  
Niall didn't even need to think twice. He took Liam's hand and went with him right away.   
  
  
Niall wasn't really expecting it, not from Liam. He thought that they would actually  _talk_ , though how someone talked to their ex-boyfriend/friend/newly-turned-vampire, he had no idea. The basement was the boys' safe space. It was neutral, as opposed to any of the bedrooms, or the living room which was so out in the open.   
  
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Liam turned to him, frowning. "I really didn't mean for this to happen."   
  
"I know-" Niall began, but in an instant, he was pushed backwards onto the couch. It was like he was standing by the stairs one second, and then the next he lay on the couch with Liam bending over him. Niall realized that Liam had just used his vampire super-speed to do that and stared up at him. Why was this so attractive to him? Why was he getting hard over the fact that Liam wasn't human anymore? What was  _wrong_  with him? And... oh god, Liam was getting hard, too.   
  
And then Liam kissed him and everything Niall had heard about vampires being ridiculously cold went out the window, because Liam's mouth was hot against his. Liam kissed him hard and Niall didn't even realize that Liam had used his new abilities to strip them down. He only noticed when Liam started to bring Niall's shirt over his head, and Niall had no protests about that at all. Liam had lube and a condom in his hand that he must have grabbed out of his pocket or something before he threw his trousers across the floor somewhere.   
  
He also used his super speed to prep Niall, which Niall actually found really interesting. It didn't feel that weird, mostly because he recognized the touch of the person doing it, but it still was really fast. He only fingered Niall for a minute or so before moving him into another position, one in which Liam could kneel over him and look down at him.  
  
Liam wasn't as gentle about it as he usually was, but to his credit, it actually didn't hurt. He also didn't use his super-speed to actually do the movements. However, it did give him a certain amount of strength in areas that Niall hadn't really expected. The moment he entered Niall, Niall cried out as Liam nearly reached his prostate. And actually reaching it, rubbing against it, didn't take long at all. Liam was careful about that, however. His movements were various, at different angles that he knew wouldn't hurt Niall, but at the same time sent a searing amount of pleasure throughout him.   
  
And for the first time, Niall was  _really, really loud_. He admitted, he did usually make a lot of sounds during sex, and Liam had heard them all. But everything was amplified. Liam's movements, how he felt inside Niall, Niall's cries of pleasure, and Liam's, too.  
  
" _Liam_ ," he said loudly, and looked up into Liam's eyes. Liam didn't actually have to  _say it_ , but Niall could tell that Liam wanted him to hold out as long as possible. He wanted this to last, though Niall wasn't sure that would actually be possible. Not at the rate they were going at. Liam slowed down his movements, made them more gentle. He bent down and kissed Niall on the mouth, leaving a tingling feeling there as Liam moved his mouth away.   
  
And then he started moving faster again. Niall moved right along with him, Liam hitting that spot with every thrust now. "Liam - Li - I don't think I can..."   
  
Liam just grinned at him. It was that same cute smile as before, except becoming an immortal creature had added a hint of dirtiness to it. And Niall lost it. He came hard, all over himself, and he tried really, really hard not to scream. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced, not that he'd had gay sex with any other guy but Liam (straight sex was a whole different matter, and while it was nice, it never did anything like this to him, whether Liam was a vampire or not).   
  
Liam managed a few more movements before he came as well. He jerked up and moaned, and Niall could feel Liam fill up the condom much more intensely than he ever had before. He moaned softly as well before he realized he also felt something weird when it happened, and looked up at Liam, confused. Liam blinked and then pursed his lips. "Crap! It broke the condom."  
  
"You broke the condom by coming?" Niall asked incredulously. Holy crap, if he had through  _he_  came hard, that was nothing compared to Liam.   
  
Liam nodded sheepishly and pulled out of Niall to show him. Sure enough, it was ripped. Not that they had anything to worry about, really, but it was kind of fascinating. Niall stifled a little laugh when he saw Liam actually was embarrassed about it. He sat up, still trying not to laugh. "If it makes you feel any better, it was really hot before that happened. Your superpowers made everything more intense."   
  
Liam snorted. " _Superpowers_." And then after a few seconds, he added quietly, "I don't actually  _want_  to be a vampire, Niall. It's terrifying. The sun makes my eyes hurt, even though I'm glad I don't burn up in it, and I want to be able to age. I don't want to drink blood. I... I can't actually do this. You need to stake me."   
  
"I am  _not_  going to stake you." Niall replied, no longer tempted to laugh. "And neither is anyone else. We can ask Harry to find out if there's some way to reverse this, okay? Maybe his coven knows something." And then he realized he had Liam alone, and it was as good a time as any to have that talk they really needed to have. He asked him tentatively, "Liam, what was this?"   
  
"Sex." Liam answered, raising an eyebrow at him. "I thought that was pretty clear."   
  
" _Just_  sex?" Niall continued. God, he felt like a girl. None of this had ever mattered to him before this thing with Liam happened. He'd had  _just sex_  with plenty of girls, including plenty of fans, and he hadn't cared much at all that it was outside of a relationship. But the fact that this was Liam, and he had no idea what was going on, and he wanted  _more_... it was just too much sometimes. "Because I don't want to just sleep with you, man. I want us to be... I dunno, like Louis and Harry."   
  
Liam sighed and then nodded. "I know, Niall. Don't you think I know that? But I  _can't_."   
  
"Then you're an idiot." Niall shot back. He stood up and gathered his clothes, pulling on his trousers and his shirt, not even bothering with his boxers. He'd fully change upstairs anyway because he probably looked like a mess.   
  
Liam stood as well, and before Niall knew it, they were kissing again. Niall kissed him back out of instinct for a few seconds before he realized that, no, this wasn't going to work. Not like this. He pushed Liam away, and even though Liam was much stronger now, Liam stumbled backward. "Niall-"   
  
"I'm not doing this, Liam." Niall told him. "I'm going upstairs, and don't follow me."   
  
He didn't look back at Liam as he ran up the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry hummed to himself as he buttoned up his shirt, getting ready for their show. They didn't have to be on stage for a few minutes, but it was going to be a bit nerve-wracking. He loved performing, of course, and his nerves with that weren't too bad anymore, but later was going to be a little worrisome. Later he was going to travel back to 2011 and talk to Charles. Well, if everything went according to plan, at least.   
  
He was pretty sure that it would go well enough. There wasn't much of a reason that it wouldn't. But he couldn't help being nervous. He'd never time traveled by himself before, especially not to a time that he'd actually been alive. He'd only time traveled with Louis when they visited Charles the first time, and then to the sixties to see a Beatles concert, not that that had been too successful. The screaming girls had been terrifying, and it had put their own hype into perspective.   
  
When he left the dressing room, he found the only Niall pacing back and forth. He seemed to be practicing a few lines to himself even though they'd done a lot of rehearsal earlier. But Niall had always liked to do that anyway, even if they didn't have to do a gig on a certain day. Sometimes he would just burst out in their songs, usually the peppy, happy ones. Right now he was singing one of the sadder ballads to himself with a stony look on his face.   
  
He'd been acting like that all day. And purposefully avoiding Liam again. So Harry had concluded that their talk hadn't gone so well. Though maybe that had been Liam's intention. He had assumed that Liam wanted things to go more positively, but maybe he had assumed wrong. Maybe Liam had asked if he could talk to Niall in order to officially break things off with him.   
  
He walked up to Niall then. "Hey. You look like you could use a hug."   
  
Niall gave him a weak smile and before he could say anything in protest (not that he would, as Niall  _loved_  hugs), Harry threw his arms around his friend, holding him closely for a moment. Their embrace got a few awww's from the backstage crew, and completely unashamed, Harry grinned and waved at them as he pulled back from Niall.   
  
"Come on. We should talk." Harry said, turning back toward his dressing room.   
  
Niall just shrugged, but he knew better to argue and actually did follow him. When he had Niall alone, Harry turned to him and asked, "So what happened? This have to do with Liam?"   
  
Niall frowned. "Louis would kill me for saying this but I wish it had been you I liked. You actually care about people."   
  
Oh god. This was worse than Harry had thought. He pat Niall's shoulder. "You know Liam cares about people. Even  _now_  he doesn't have a bad bone in his body." Niall shook his head and sat down. Harry sat next to him. "What did he do, Niall?"   
  
"It doesn't really matter." Niall said. "But I do know that he and I need to  _stop_." He nodded determinedly, though Harry wasn't sure that was actually going to happen. "I'm so stupid, you know? I liked him so he was the one I trusted to tell everything to first, but last night... I'm pretty sure I won't be anything more to him than just... just..."   
  
"Sex?"   
  
"Yeah." he admitted.   
  
Harry really didn't want to think about his friends doing it, especially now that Liam was a vampire, but he pressed the issue anyway in an effort to comfort Niall. "Is that what happened? You had sex and then he didn't want anything more?"   
  
Niall shrugged. That meant yes.   
  
"What happened then?"   
  
"I told him he was a fucking idiot and told him to leave me alone." Niall said. He leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling. "For the past four years I've tried to  _better_  myself for him. I thought maybe if I wasn't so, I dunno, immature... but nah, I guess it's just me."   
  
Harry had noticed that, too. It was true that maybe becoming older had contributed to Niall's acting slightly more mature (even though he still did have a dirty sense of humor and was still prone to farting a bit, though not as much anymore), but it made sense that part of it was for Liam. Whether he wanted to say it or not, Niall loved Liam. Harry was pretty sure Liam felt that for Niall as well, but it was no secret he had more trouble dealing with it.  
  
"I think the fact that you're you is why he keeps coming back to you." Harry told him.   
  
"Well too bad for him. I'm not gonna be his bitch anymore." Niall stood. "Damn it. I've wasted four years waiting for him while I could have been going out, meeting lots of people. I really just..." He took his mobile out of his pocket and started to type something. "I  _do_  want to meet people. All kinds of people. Guys  _and_  women." he muttered as he typed.   
  
"Niall... what are you doing?" Harry asked carefully. "Are you texting?"   
  
"Tweeting."   
  
"Tweeting what?"   
  
Niall pressed one more button and then looked up, his eyes wide. "Holy shit. I. I have to erase it!"  
  
That was when Harry's mobile buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and scanned the tweet that Niall had just typed. As he read the words his jaw dropped.   
  
' _Im single girls and guys..thats right...girls AND guys.. :)_ '   
  
  
  
  
The next few minutes were a blur.   
  
Harry remembered Zayn, Louis, and Liam barging into the dressing room and getting all up into Niall's face about what he'd just tweeted. Niall managed to delete the tweet, but by then a few minutes had passed and Harry knew that the internet never actually forgot about these things. Harry remembered Liam backing away as Niall shot him accusing glares, despite the fact that Niall had typed the tweet by himself. Harry remembered checking his mentions, only to find that several fans were already spamming him, asking if it was true. Not only that, they were spamming all five of them. Though none of them even considered answering, not until they all had the chance to talk properly.   
  
Harry remembered standing there in shock when the door opened. He also remembered Louis wrapping his arms around him, helping Harry through his state of shock. He remembered that their phones all started ringing, calls which they all ignored for the time being. They would talk to their management later on or tomorrow and decide how to handle this. And lastly Harry remembered Savan Kotecha responding to Niall's tweet with ' _And he finally admits it!! congrats, dude!_ '   
  
But somehow they all wound up on stage, acting like nothing had just happened. Well, they  _tried_  to act like nothing had happened. The way they appeared on stage, Niall came on last. He was freaking out enough that he almost turned and ran, but Harry glanced back at him and motioned. Luckily, Niall decided to follow.   
  
The crowd, usually full of screaming girls, was unusually quiet. There were still cheers, but there was something subdued about them. No doubt every fan in the venue had read Twitter or checked Tumblr on their phones. Finally, Niall walked on stage and the crowd fell even more quiet.   
  
Then some girl shouted, "You go, Niall!" And before Harry knew it, the crowd had burst into a thunderous applause. The screams were so loud that Harry was worried that Niall would actually freak out even more, but he found that Niall was smiling. He walked to the center of the stage and actually  _bowed_.   
  
Liam watched Niall, and though he seemed slightly annoyed, he just gazed at Niall with one of his dumb, blank looks. Harry shook his head. Liam had brought this upon himself. But it resulted in Niall getting loads of attention, and now he was going to have girls  _and_  guys all around him. Harry just couldn't believe that Niall had typed the words so easily. And pressed the "send" button so easily.   
  
He wondered if it would be that easy when he and Louis finally got around to admitting the truth.   
  
"Thanks everyone." Niall said into his microphone. And then he turned to Louis so that he could speak before they sang, just as planned.   
  
  
Eventually, the gig ended. They all bowed, gave their sentiments to the fans, and headed backstage. Though he was all sweaty and gross, Harry knew that he had to time his time traveling perfectly. He grabbed Louis' arm and dragged him to the dressing room. Liam went off somewhere on his own, and Zayn and Niall had walked off, seemingly in deep conversation.   
  
In the dressing room, Louis watched as Harry magically cleaned himself off and changed his clothes into something much more comfortable and casual. Harry looked up at Louis, "Want me to?"   
  
Louis nodded. "Sure."   
  
Harry smiled and did the same for Louis, purposefully putting him in one of his older striped shirts. Louis snorted when he saw what he was wearing. "It's like I'm nineteen again."   
  
"Well, you're going to be nineteen when I time travel." Harry reminded him. "Plus I thought you could use something to laugh at, considering... well, Niall."   
  
Louis sat down and kneaded his forehead with his knuckles, frustrated. "Don't remind me. If anyone was going to do anything stupid over Twitter, I thought it'd be Zayn. Or me. Well, I guess we've all done stupid stuff over Twitter in the past. But  _Niall said he was bi_. That's not something he can just pretend didn't happen."   
  
Harry kneeled in front of Louis, still smiling. "It's going to be fine, Louis. Did you see the crowd's reaction to it? The crowd was ninety-five percent girls and they're fine with it. If the fans are fine with it, management will be as well."   
  
"And then there's the rest of us."   
  
"Well," Harry kissed Louis on the cheek. "We don't have to worry about that yet. Not until we need to. You know that."   
  
"It was hard enough admitting everything to my mum. And then the few home friends that I did tell. God. They took the piss for months, mostly because I tried to convince them that I was straight for years." Louis sighed. "Not that they believed me."   
  
It was true. Stan had said  _Fucking finally!_  Louis had reported the whole conversation back to Harry. "Well, you must just have one of those faces."   
  
Louis looked up into his eyes then. "What?"   
  
"That people don't believe!" Harry clarified, grinning wider now. Maybe he was just trying to stall, but he knew he couldn't. He had to catch Charles at a particular time, so he had to leave, like, _now_. At Louis' frown, Harry kissed him again. "I'm kidding!"   
  
"You better be, unless you want to wake up in the morning with cocks drawn all over your face in permanent marker." Louis warned, kissing him back. "Anyway, don't you have to go?"   
  
"I do." Harry confirmed, standing up. "It's going to be a weird one. I have to alter the date as well as the year, but it should be alright."   
  
Louis stood up as well. "Wait, so you haven't done this kind of spell before? I'm not letting you do this alone, then. Forget it, Harry."   
  
"Louis, I'm going to be  _fine_ ," Harry assured him, wrapping his hand around the back of Louis' neck, "I know the spell. I know what I have to do. I know I'm the youngest in this band, but you have to start trusting me to do things on my own."   
  
Louis gave him a slight offended look, though Harry knew his touch actually subdued it quite a bit. "It's not that, Curly. It's only because if I lost you..."   
  
"You're not  _going_  to." Harry told him, kissing him reassuringly. It was rare to see Louis this vulnerable. Louis could be loving and passionate, sure, but one hardly saw him in this kind of mood, worried for someone he cared about. "I know how to do the spell. I've never done it before, but it seems pretty straight forward. I just need to say the date in Astairnian when I've called the elements. I'll be back tonight. I promise."   
  
At that, Louis nodded. "Fine. But I'm going to watch you do the ritual. And I'm going to call your mum if anything about it seems  _off_."   
  
Harry stepped away, giving Louis' hand one last squeeze. He knew that arguing with Louis about the subject was pointless, and truthfully, he was quite glad that Louis was there. He actually might have liked Louis to come along with him, but truthfully, Louis was  _distracting_. Louis was the kind who would go along with him and once they achieved what they wanted, would convince Harry to have sex with him in some weird place, just to say they did. And while Harry actually kind of  _loved_  that about him, Harry was on a mission to save his own life right now.   
  
Harry closed his eyes and concentrated, calling the elements one-by-one. Ever since getting initiated by the coven, he could sense the elements with more intensity than he had between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. He knew when air, earth, fire, and water surrounded him. He could barely sense Louis anymore, even though he stared straight ahead and did see that he was there. He gave Louis a reassuring smile and then said the chant, which he had memorized, in Astairnian.   
  
When he finished with the chant, he felt himself falling. Or spinning. It felt like a combination of both, even though his feet were planted firmly on the ground. He swallowed and then took a deep breath, willing himself not to be sick. This was always the worst part of time travel. He was getting better, but he didn't do it often enough to actually be an expert at it.   
  
Then the movement feeling stopped and he opened his eyes, which he had squeezed shut at some point. And then he smiled. He was right outside the PAUSE building, the one where he and Adrian had had their final confrontation. He looked at his watch and stared at the door. Any minute now, his younger self and everyone else would be emerging from the building, tired, but feeling the victory. He quickly made himself invisible, and walked around the building as a precaution. It wasn't really in the view of anybody coming or going through the door, so he figured he would be safe.   
  
A few minutes later, the door opened and everyone walked out of the building. Harry watched everyone; it felt kind of surreal that he was watching  _himself_. Apparently he'd had no shame at all and had been all over Louis for comfort the moment they left. He didn't remember that in particular, but he supposed it was a habit now.   
  
When they were all out of sight, Harry marched up to the door bravely and rang the buzzer as he made himself visible again. To let him in, they needed to be able to see him, of course.   
  
It was only a moment before Adrian's voice in Charles' tone came on the speaker. "Yes?"   
  
"It's me. Harry. Charles, I need to talk to you."   
  
"Harry? You-"   
  
"I know." Harry said nervously. "I just left. But... I'm not 2011 Harry. I'm 2017 Harry."  
  
There were a few seconds of silence before Charles said, "One minute."   
  
Another moment later, the door opened to reveal Charles. Harry gaped at him, because even though he knew he  _was_  Charles, he still  _looked_  like Adrian, the man who had kidnapped him and Louis and nearly killed them both. It was out of instinct that he freaked out Harry, but it was already clear that the look on Adrian's face wasn't an "Adrian" look. He'd never seen Adrian with a kind, curious look.   
  
"Harry."   
  
"Hi." Harry said with a little nod.   
  
"You  _are_  older." Charles observed. "Come on in." Harry followed him into the building. As they walked down the hallway together, Charles asked, "So how old are you now?"   
  
"Twenty-two." Harry answered. "I was seventeen last time we saw each other."   
  
Charles gave him a side glance. "Why didn't you just summon me in 2017? Surely you've mastered the other spells by now and know that you do not necessarily need my descendent, though it does help if we have bodies."   
  
"Yeah. About that... I was kind of afraid to do that." Harry told him. Charles gave him a look that said  _tell me more_ , Harry continued. "There's something wrong. I don't know if it's something wrong with the book, or the spirits, or  _me_... but there are  _two_  new names in the book. Two thirteen year olds. And I know that new names appearing means I'm gong to die sometime soon, but I was led to believe that the new name would, well, belong to someone who was just born. And  _two_  names..."   
  
Charles was silent for a moment as they continued walking. Charles appeared deep in thought, and Harry didn't want to bother him by demanding to know what in the world was going on. Still, he was slightly impatient and this was his  _life_  that could be in danger here.   
  
They entered what Harry could only assume was Adrian's office, as it looked just like the one Harry had been in before, shortly after he and Louis had been kidnapped. Charles sat down in Adrian's chair and Harry sat across from him.   
  
"Harry," Charles finally said, looking him square in the eye. "I don't think there's anything wrong with  _you_."   
  
"But the book isn't mine anymore. If I do the spells, it'll kill me."   
  
Charles shook his head. "No. You still have the same aura as you did. The aura that only the owner of the book has. It's this odd glow, and it naturally attracts those who have passed on. If you could not do our spells anymore, you would not have that glow. You will most likely have it for the rest of your life."   
  
Well, that was a relief. That meant his life wasn't in danger, though he wasn't sure what to make of the book suddenly changing the rules on him. "Then what about the two kids whose names are in the book?"   
  
"I'm not sure." Charles said honestly. "It must mean something. Something is coming that you can't do alone. Though this has never happened before, and I'm not sure  _what_  it is, I'm sure of that. Of course, now that their names are there, the book also belongs to them. You three are in this together."   
  
 _Great_ , Harry thought. He had to work with Gabe, the obnoxious little brat. He decided right away to enlist Louis' help with him because for some reason Louis had a knack for getting along with bratty kids and annoying people in general. Harry did his best to be polite to everyone, of course, but his feelings of annoyance could show. Louis had this air of positivity about him, and it had only grown in the years that One Direction had been together.   
  
"Charles, if i give you a date... or if I summon you on a certain date, since I guess I can still do that, is that alright? I guess what I'm really asking is if you would check out what's going on in the spirit world and then tell me? Because we need to be prepared."   
  
"I don't see why not." Charles told him. "I will definitely investigate when I go back. As you probably know, I plan to leave Adrian's body once he is locked away in prison. Since I will be confessing, I don't doubt that will help the process along."   
  
Harry nodded, confirming what Charles already knew. He knew enough not to give too much away. Even though Charles was dead, he still didn't want to reveal too much about the future. It was enough that Harry knew exactly what Charles would tell the police and the press, confessing to kidnapping Harry, Louis, and countless others. He would give exact information about where to find the remains of people Adrian had actually killed, where to find PAUSE's weapons, everything one could think of.   
  
"Thank you." Harry told him sincerely. Charles had been so good to him, even when Charles was alive. After all, the guy had been the PAUSE leader back in 1900, and he had still respected Harry, even before he died. That was really cool of him, and Harry knew that it probably upset him that PAUSE had gone to shit and no longer existed. Still, he kept helping people the best he could.   
  
And if the time ever came, Harry would certainly return the favor.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Louis knew he shouldn't have been worried. Harry was a big boy (in many ways) and could take care of himself. Still, he couldn't help but pace about the house, being somewhat of a bother to the other lads. Liam was in hte living room, looking through lists of possible songs for the boys he was working with, Niall was hiding in his room after his big confession, and Zayn had gone to his own room to watch a movie. Still, Louis made his rounds, bothering each lad at least three times.   
  
"What are you doing now?" Louis asked Liam, who was still sifting through a bunch of boring-looking papers and lists. He appeared deep in concentration, and looked up at Louis like he couldn't believe he was interrupting  _again_.   
  
"Don't make me get my fangs out." Liam warned, jokingly.   
  
"That's an unfair advantage, Payne. Speaking of fangs, what are you going to do about Cody?" Louis asked curiously. He really hoped that he would never meet Cody, because he kind of hated his guts already. And Louis didn't hate people. He hadn't even hated the supernaturals he'd been in charge of tagging. But supernaturals who actually  _harmed_. Hating or strongly disliking them was fair game, as far as Louis was concerned.   
  
Liam shrugged. "To be honest, I've been avoiding him. I don't really know what to do, but I have to talk to all four boys this week, so I can't avoid him any longer. I shouldn't have agreed to this stupid job."   
  
"You love it." Louis reminded him. "And you know you'll be a good mentor. Try to focus on that. The other lads and I will do the best we can to help you."   
  
Liam was quiet for a moment before blurting out, "Why would Niall  _do_  that?"   
  
Louis had been expecting this. He was surprised Liam had gone this long without mentioning Niall's confession. "Man, I don't know. I guess he got tired of pretending. From the sound of his tweet, he wants to date around and go out with guys and girls. More power to him, I guess."   
  
"I guess." Liam said stiffly. Louis studied him. Obviously Liam would be affected by his saying that - but that was why he had. Louis wished that Liam would just get his act together and claim Niall as his own before someone else did. Though Louis had a sneaking suspicion that anything Niall got involved with would be casual because he would probably always want to be with Liam.   
  
"He probably did it because he loves you." Louis offered. Liam looked up at him again. "He wants to show you that it's alright to be who you are. And I have to say I agree. Not to sound cheesy, but you love who you love, mate. And you know the rest of us have your back if and when you decide to say something." Louis didn't need to add that they all would have Niall's back when they met with Syco and management to discuss what had happened.   
  
Liam smiled gratefully at him as they both heard a familiar voice in the doorway. "Hey guys."   
  
Louis sprang up from where he sat on the sofa, and ran toward Harry. First he pulled Harry into his arms and hugged him tightly, and then he completely disregarded Liam's presence and pushed him against the wall, kissing him fiercely. As if Harry also forgot Liam was in the room, Harry kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Louis neck, pressing into him.   
  
"Ew, you guys. get a room." Liam told them, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Oh wait. You have  _two_."   
  
Louis broke away from Harry enough to turn toward their friend. "Don't lie, Liam. We're hot and you want in." Harry chuckled at that, his fingers resting comfortably in Louis' hair.   
  
But Liam, even though he was a bit amused, sighed, gathered his papers, and stood up. "Forget it. I'm going to  _my_  room."   
  
  
As Liam retreated from the room, Louis turned back to Harry. "I'm glad you're alright."   
  
"I told you I would be." Harry reminded him, kissing Louis' forehead. "It went fine. I talked to Charles, and in a week I'm going to talk to him and see what's going on. He doesn't think I'm going to die, just that something  _huge_  is happening in the spirit world. So I have to talk to the kids." he added reluctantly, probably thinking of that one kid that he didn't like in his mum's witch class. Still, he tried not to show it, which Louis found kind of cute. Instead, Harry looked up into his eyes and smiled. "So, yeah. It was a good trip."  
  
"Good." Louis said, smiling back. "So, what did you bring me?"   
  
Harry rolled his ridiculous. "You're ridiculous."   
  
"You went on a trip and  _didn't bring me anything_?" Louis asked incredulously, pretending to seem a bit hurt at that, even though he obviously wasn't. Still, he made his voice as whiny as possible, because he knew Harry loved him even when he was annoying.   
  
"Well," Harry conceded, "Maybe I  _did_  get you something." He leaned in closer to Louis until his lips touched Louis' ear, and Louis shivered from the contact. "I got you my cock."   
  
" _Harry_!" Louis exclaimed, pulling back as if he couldn't believe Harry would say such a thing. "You need to go wash your mouth out with soap right now."   
  
"I'd rather wash my mouth out with  _your_  cock." Harry replied, grinning devilishly. He pressed his lips to Louis' cheek and then his mouth as he murmured, "What do you say?"   
  
Louis felt a familiar rush of arousal in his groin and he pulled Harry forward in a rush, kissing him hard. He felt Harry's hands on his arse as Harry pulled Louis' lower half against him, brushing their groins together. Harry thrust against him, gathering a sort of rhythm that felt good that Louis didn't want to stop. They were hard against each other now, and Louis was feeling just a bit daring. He pushed Harry up against he wall again, attacking Harry's neck as he continued the rhythm. Louis realized that dry humping in the hallway was probably not the best idea, but right now he didn't give a fuck. Anyway, he and Harry had been caught in worse situations.   
  
"Louis," Harry whined as he threw his head back. Louis made his way down Harry's throat and then up his chin, back to his lips. When their lips met, Harry moaned and then looked into Louis' eyes. Louis sometimes couldn't believe the amount of love and desire Harry had in his own eyes. And then let out an amused little chuckle. "We're in the hallway, Louis."   
  
"I'm aware." Louis said, kissing Harry's mouth again. "Though you could do something about that..."   
  
Harry smiled against Louis' mouth. "What do you have in mind?"   
  
"Making us invisible and silent? Because I quite like being right here at the moment." Louis made sure to place an emphasis on silence, because Liam's new abilities included amazing hearing skills. But if Harry made sure no one could hear them, then not even a vampire could get through that barrier. He realized that maybe it was inappropriate to do this here, but the other guys had pretty much retired for the night and Louis liked living dangerously - even with the security of Harry's magic abilities.   
  
Harry made some kind of waving motion with his hand and then said, "Done." As soon as he said it, he gripped Louis tight, turning him so that now Louis was against the wall, kissing him again. Louis felt Harry's hands come down and grip the ends of Louis' t-shirt. Harry lifted it up slightly, though not all the way. Still, Harry kneeled on the floor and ran his tongue over Louis' chest and stomach, biting his nipples lightly and sending a shocking amount of pleasure throughout his body. Now confident that no one would hear, Louis groaned, digging his fingers through Harry's curls.   
  
Harry then unbuttoned Louis' trousers, unzipping them and slipping them down his thighs. Despite his underwear still being on, Harry cupped his hand over Louis' cock and squeezed lightly, causing Louis to gasp, " _Harry_!"   
  
In response Harry just looked up with a naughty smile as he slipped Louis' underwear down. "I'm going to blow you and then I'm going to fuck you. Sound good?"   
  
"Perfect idea." Louis said weakly. Harry was so straight-forward with his intentions. Hearing him actually  _say_  what he was going to do always drove Louis crazy.   
  
"Good," Harry said, grazing the tip of Louis' cock with his tongue. Louis didn't even bother to hold in cry he felt building up in his throat.   
  
And he knew there was a lot more where that came from.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The next morning, Niall met up with the other lads in the living room. They were all waiting there for him, and Niall smiled sheepishly as he entered the room. Liam avoided his gaze, though Louis' words from last night were still on his mind. He knew that the other boys supported him through everything. Hell, they supported him even though he was an immortal, inhuman creature now. But there were just some things he couldn't deal with. He couldn't just nonchalantly tweet something about his own sexuality. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, he was straight. He'd had girlfriends since X Factor, and he'd even denied gayness on Twitter and in some other interviewing situations. If it came out he was a  _liar_... Liam swallowed nervously.   
  
He knew that what he'd done to Niall was horrible. Well, the  _sex_  hadn't been horrible. That had been awesome. It was always awesome with Niall, though one probably wouldn't expect that from the band's Irish goofball who could never stop laughing or talking. But when he wanted to be sexy, he  _really, really_  could. And Liam had kind of intended to just talk to him at first. Maybe he'd anticipated sex a little bit, but something had taken over when he'd gotten Niall alone. And clearly Niall had been perfectly fine with it. But then Liam had gone and dropped the bombshell that that didn't mean they were a couple. He felt bad. He didn't want to hurt Niall. And yet he couldn't stop himself.   
  
"Ready to go?" Harry finally asked, since no one else was saying anything.   
  
"Ready." Niall said dryly.   
  
They all piled into the car. Liam sat on the far right while Niall sat as far away from Liam as he could. Liam pretended not to be hurt from that, but he was. Zayn was dozing, but Harry and Louis were cuddling and tickling each other like the disgustingly in-love boyfriends they were, even if they never actually said they were boyfriends. Liam envied that they were so confident in their relationship. Liam wished he could feel that way.   
  
They were on the way to meet with their manager and publicist, as well as other representatives from their label. Liam couldn't believe they were doing this. He couldn't believe what Niall had done.   
  
And yet he couldn't blame him.   
  
He felt like he was in a daze until they all actually sat in the room, surrounded by important people. Their publicist, Lisa, looked right at Niall as she asked, "What made you do this?"   
  
Niall shrugged. "I had a crazy moment. But it's done."   
  
"Without talking to any of us  _or_  your bandmates, apparently." said their manager. He looked to Liam, Zayn, Harry, and Louis. "He didn't warn you, right?"   
  
"No," Zayn said. "But we knew about him."   
  
"And we completely support Niall's decision." Harry added. Next to him, Louis nodded. Niall smiled gratefully. "He's quite brave."   
  
"And impulsive." Liam muttered. No one said anything in response, but Zayn shot him a glare, as if to warn him to shut up.   
  
"We're going to have to talk to the press, Niall." Lisa told him. "I hope you're ready for that. Because once you say something like that on Twitter, you can't take it back."   
  
"I know." Niall said. "It's actually a relief. I mean, now I don't have to be paranoid about who I pull."   
  
Liam looked away. Did Niall think he was  _paranoid_? He probably did, because somehow Liam knew that Niall had said those words  _to him_ , even if he was facing Lisa.   
  
"I'll set something up for you guys for tomorrow." Lisa said, taking out her tablet, probably to check their schedule. Then she looked up at the rest of them. "Anything else I should know about, while we're at it?"   
  
Harry and Louis exchanged a meaningful look. Then Louis looked up at Lisa. "Nothing we want to tell the public about, no."  
  
Lisa's eyes widened with recognition and Liam could tell that she now  _knew_ , off the record, about Harry and Louis' relationship. He glanced around the room at all of the representatives from management, who looked just as bewildered by the not-confession.   
  
"But when we do have something to tell the public, we will tell you first, not Twitter." Harry assured them all. He smiled at Niall to show he wasn't saying it to be mean, and Liam watched the whole scene with fascination. Harry and Louis had been couple-y since the moment they met, so after the initial shock, everyone they had just told had accepted it. Everyone in the room was _fine_  with it.   
  
Liam wondered if everyone in the room knew the  _whole_  truth, would they all still be fine with it? Maybe they would. But there were still so many other factors to consider. The fans, for one. One couple in a band. Okay, sometimes that happened. But  _two_? Two  _gay_  couples?   
  
Though he supposed he and Niall didn't have to worry about that anymore. Niall wanted to move on .   
  
And that was fine. Really.   
  
  
  
  
Later on, the boys accompanied Liam to the X Factor studios. It was some kind of nostalgia for them whenever they came here. They would point out some part of the studio and associate it with a memory. It reminded Liam of much simpler times, he had to admit.   
  
RJ, Cal, and Jake, the other three guys in Liam's category were all excited to meet the other lads. They all had plenty of questions, and politely avoided all of the sexuality questions. They were happy to get advice from former X Factor contestants who had made it. It made Liam smile, even when Niall spoke, but he also knew there could only be one winner. He was going to do his best to make sure all four guys stayed as long as they could in the competition. He was sure that the other judges were doing the same thing, but he had carefully weighed every single consideration. He had looked up the people's favorites as well as judging their judges houses performances. He also made sure their attitudes about the competition were good, eager, and that they didn't come across as douchey. Other than Cody, that is.   
  
And Cody, surprisingly, was very convincing. If the other lads didn't know he had turned Liam into a vampire, he would come across as nice and normal. The other boys were also convincing. They didn't give off any feelings of fear or hatred, thankfully, so Cody didn't grow suspicious. However, Cody did shoot Liam a smirk when he accidentally gave off a suspicious feeling about Niall. A  _gay_  feeling, as Cody had suspected back in Florida.   
  
A bit later, the boys all left, going several different places, and Liam met with the boys in his category one by one. He saved Cody for last, because with the other three they got right down to business. But with Cody, they had a  _lot_  to discuss.   
  
When he had Cody alone in the room with him, Cody smirked and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. "So, it's  _Niall_ , huh? He just came out of the closet and you're acting awkward around him."   
  
"So for your song." Liam said, looking down at his sheet music. "I was thinking-"   
  
"Have you done him?" Cody interrupted, still smiling. "You have, haven't you? And you say you're not gay."   
  
"I'm  _not_." Liam insisted. "Can we please discuss your song? I put you through to the live shows. So I would really like to discuss what you're actually here for."   
  
"Tell me the truth, Liam," Cody ordered him, using his vampire-maker ability. Liam winced. "Tell me if it's Niall you're gay for."   
  
Liam had no choice. "Yeah. It's him. Okay, now for your song. It's really an sing anything kind of week, so-"   
  
"And how's being a vampire treating you?" Cody asked. "Figured out your favorite blood type yet?"   
  
Alright, that was it. Liam slammed down his sheet music and glared at Cody. "I don't know why you're such an asshole." he said coldly. "Are you like this because you became a vampire, or were you originally like this? Why are you so  _mean_? I'm trying to be nice and now that I'm a vampire as well, why can't we just get along? Call a truce? There's really no point in you being so cruel."   
  
Cody raises his eyebrows and then lifted up his hand, curling his finger seductively. "Come here."   
  
And Liam physically couldn't refuse. He willed himself to stop, but it didn't work. He walked up to Cody and was soon pressed up against the boy. Liam blinked at him, but Cody just smiled and pressed his lips to Liam's cheek. "Well, your fantastic human smell is gone. My fault, I suppose."   
  
"Cody, please." Liam begged. "I don't want to do anything. Especially something that could get either of us in trouble."   
  
"Don't worry." Cody said, kissing Liam's mouth lightly. Liam hated that it actually didn't feel disgusting. It didn't feel  _right_ , because Liam didn't fancy the psychopathic vampire. And yet, there was something about this... maybe it was because Liam had a connection to Cody now. "But things with Niall aren't going well, are they?" Cody asked. "Tell me."   
  
"They're not." Liam confessed. "But it's my fault."   
  
"Hmm," Cody said. He then flipped Liam around and suddenly it was Liam who leaned up against the wall. Then Cody kissed him again. "His loss."   
  
"Cody-" Liam said. He didn't want this with  _him_... he didn't... but there was this connection. Something that drew him to Cody right now. And he knew it was probably the fact that Cody had turned him. Still, he looked at Cody and saw someone that he  _desired_. Not  _loved_ , but... Liam closed his eyes. And even in darkness, the feeling was still there. Cody's mouth ghosted his, and he was tempted.  _So tempted_. And he  _hated_  Cody for it. For a lot of reasons, actually, but especially for this. "Fuck it."   
  
And it was the first time he caught Cody off-guard. He pressed the boy up against the wall with all of the vampire strength he could muster up and kissed him roughly, loving and hating every single second of it.   
  
  
  
Niall headed downstairs. He'd just gotten ready for a night out. He wasn't going to stay out  _all_  night, but he was going out for drinks and then dancing. He was actually meeting a bunch of people, guys and girls, friends that he had made the past few years but never really gone out with without the other lads. He was interested in being independent now. Maybe he could meet someone to, well, hook up with. It was a little egotistical, but since becoming part of a famous boyband, he'd had enough offers. He'd taken up plenty of offers, but turned down plenty in the past few years. Well, no more of that.   
  
Well... maybe. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to.   
  
As soon as he reached the foot of the stairs, the front door opened. Niall froze as Liam walked through the door. He hung up his coat and then turned. And saw Niall.   
  
Niall stared at him. Liam looked very flushed. And guilty. His hair was a mess, and so were his clothes.   
  
He... he looked like he'd just been with someone.   
  
Who would he have been with? He'd just been at rehearsals with Cal, Jake, RJ, and.... Cody.  _Cody_?  _Oh my god_ , he thought. Liam had actually...   
  
He couldn't believe it. And he couldn't believe the sick feeling in his stomach right now. Liam had gone and... done something that  _Liam_  would never, ever do.   
  
"Liam." Niall said quietly.   
  
Liam walked closer to him, looking down into Niall's eyes. And now he  _did_  look like himself. It made this hurt even more.   
  
"You know, Liam," Niall said carefully, "Sleeping with the people you're mentoring is really stupid."   
  
Liam blinked at him. Niall wanted Liam to deny it. Say he hadn't done  _anything_ , just got caught in the wind or something. But he stayed quiet. And the guilt in his eyes grew. Whatever he'd done, he looked sorry about it. Still. Whatever he'd done, he'd done it.   
  
"Where are you going, anyway?" Liam asked finally, looking Niall up and down curiously.   
  
For a moment, Niall considered telling him the truth. But he felt angry, betrayed, spiteful, and  _sad_.   
  
"I have a date," Niall said finally, lying in the harshest voice he could. Liam's eyes widened as Niall brushed past him, grabbed his jacket, and left the house.


	5. Chapter 5

This wasn't going to be easy.   
  
It was probably going to be the hardest task that Harry had faced so far.  
  
Well, alright. No, that wasn't true. But telling two thirteen year olds that they had a connection to ghosts was not really something Harry found easy. He had a feeling that Gabe and Alysa would have two different reactions, and he really didn't want to see Gabe's.   
  
And yet that was what he had to do. He kneeled in front of the safe and turned the knob until the lock popped open. He took the book out of the safe and opened the book to the front to make sure Gabe and Alysa's names were still there. And sure enough, they were. Harry groaned, annoyed. He'd sort of hoped the kids' names would disappear.   
  
He held the book close to his chest as he stood up, walked out of the room, and joined Liam and Louis at the table, where they were eating breakfast. Well, where  _Louis_  was eating breakfast. Liam was just playing with his phone, as he didn't anymore.   
  
Liam had an X Factor meeting that morning. and Louis would be going with Harry to meet with Harry's mum, Gabe, and Alysa. Zayn was still sleeping for a few more minutes, and Niall wasn't home. When Harry had asked Liam where Niall was earlier, Liam had brushed off the question and then run away. No doubt about it, something was going on. Something worse than before. Harry had naively thought that Niall's confession would fix some things, make them better. But when it involved Niall and Liam, the only thing that would make things better would be them not acting like bloody idiots.   
  
"Hey," Harry said as he sat at the table.  
  
Louis grinned. "So this will be cool."   
  
Liam snorted. "Sounds like it'll be torture. I don't envy you at all." He was looking up from his phone, smiling just slightly.   
  
"Well, you'll hear all about it, mate." Harry said. "If I have to complain, you'll know. Believe me."   
  
  
  
Harry thought about hiding Louis until he actually needed him, because he didn't really want to cause everyone to get off track. He knew that Alysa was a One Direction fan, so if she saw Louis, it was possible that she would freak out and start asking him a bunch of questions. But when Harry hinted that maybe he should talk to Gabe and Alysa alone, both his mum and Louis insisted that they be there as well for moral support.   
  
As predicted, Alysa kind of flipped when she saw Louis, and Harry didn't really blame her. A young teenage fan meeting two members of one of her favorite bands would be overwhelming. Instead of screaming in Louis' face, however, she just looked stunned.   
  
Gabe, however, was more cynical about Louis' presence. "What are you doing here? Thought you were a normal."   
  
"A  _normal_ ," Louis repeated back to him, raising his eyebrows. "You mean, not supernatural? No, I'm not supernatural. But I was in PAUSE and I'm involved, so listen to Harry, alright?"   
  
"What's this about?" Gabe demanded, looking back and forth between Louis, Harry, Alysa, and Harry's mum. "I didn't do anything. Why am I here?"   
  
"We have to talk to you two," Harry pointed to Gabe and Alysa, "About something important. You're not in trouble."   
  
Alysa looked up at him, interested, but Gabe crossed his arms and sat down in the armchair, slouching and trying to be as cool and aloof as possible. Louis caught Harry's eye and smirked. He thought Gabe was just as ridiculous.   
  
Harry asked Alysa to sit down in the chair next to Gabe and then pulled over a chair to sit in front of them. He held the book up in front of the two teenagers. "It has to do with this."   
  
Gabe raised an eyebrow. "An old, molding book? Cool." he said sarcastically.  
  
" _Gabe_ ," Alysa hissed at him. "Shut up." And then she turned back to Harry while Gabe rolled his eyes. "What about the book?"   
  
"This book has to do with that ghost thing I talked about when I spoke to your whole class." Harry told her. "This is the book that determines whether one can see spirits, communicate with them, and use spells that have to do with the spirit world. It's about a lot more than that, but we can get into all that later." He opened the book to the first page and held it out to them. "My name is on this page."   
  
"You brought us here to brag about your creepily talent, didn't you?" Gabe asked, sounding bored. He had his eyes closed now, and it took all of Harry's strength not to slap him.   
  
But instead, Harry said through his teeth, "Why would I do that? Read the page, please. Both of you."   
  
Alysa leaned forward first, and when she gasped, Gabe opened his eyes and looked mildly interested. "Uh, why is my name in the old book?"   
  
"When your name is in this book, it means you can do the book's spells." Harry said almost reluctantly. He didn't so much mind telling Alysa, but Gabe was just being obnoxious already. "You should already be able to read Astairnian if it's triggered enough. The important thing is that you can do these spells and you won't die if you do. Normal people with magic would die if they tried to invoke spirits."   
  
"That's stupid." Gabe commented helpfully.   
  
"Anyway," Harry said, ignoring Gabe's little statement, "The book belongs to all three of us now, even though traditionally it's only belonged to one person at a time. But the first step is for you guys to make sure you can read Astairnian."   
  
Gabe stood up then. "This is stupid. I don't want to see ghosts and I don't want to talk to them. I just want to get through all the regular magic stuff so I can stop going to school on fucking _Saturday_."   
  
"Dude," Louis said, "You might want to listen to Harry. This is kind of an honor. You were chosen and there's a reason for it."   
  
"It's sweet you're sticking up for your boyfriend, but I don't want to do this. Mrs. Cox, I want to go home. Send me home please."   
  
Harry noticed that Louis had stiffened at Gabe's use of the word "boyfriend," though he was pretty sure Gabe hadn't meant anything by it. The reality was that people talked about them like that enough without them revealing their relationship. And as far as Gabe, Alysa, and most of the world were concerned, Harry had just gotten out of a three year relationship with Vanessa. He just looked toward his mum, who shook her head. "Sorry, Gabe. This is something you need to learn. It's your responsibility. Like Louis said, you were chosen. And this is going to factor into your grade as well as Alysa's."   
  
Gabe said nothing in response. So Harry took the opportunity to grab the two copies of Beginning Astairnian from the floor in front of him and hand them to Gabe and Alysa. "You've had a few lessons for this but you need to learn more. The thing is, you already know it, but if you study these books it'll trigger your fluency in the language better. I had a hard time because I hadn't studied it. Reading the spell book triggered it for me, but it took awhile."  
  
"When can we do spells?" Alysa asked, opening her Astairnian book.   
  
"When you can read the book and you've studied the spells." said Harry. "It probably won't take too long to learn the language but you should study the spells, learn what they're about. You can do that next time." Gabe rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Alysa nodded eagerly. Harry smiled, pleased that one of them was up for the challenge. He continued. "There's something weird going on with the spirits, and there's a reason there's three of us now. I hope we can all work together."   
  
He glanced at Louis, who smiled encouragingly.   
  
"Weird? What do you mean?" Alysa asked, looking up from the Astairnian book.   
  
"Not sure," Harry told her honestly. "I spoke to Charles Smith, a spirit, when I time traveled a few days ago. I'm going to talk to him later this week. I'll summon him and find out exactly what's going on. From now on, I'll include you both whenever I find anything out. And when you're more skilled, we'll all just include each other." Harry thought he seemed pretty convincing even though he was sharing his ability reluctantly. He really had no choice in the matter, when he thought about it.   
  
Alysa and Gabe put the Astairnian books in their backpacks. A few minutes later the rest of the teenage witches showed up for their lesson. They were surprised to see Louis there as well. Louis greeted them happily and chatted with them a bit before Harry and Louis left to let Anne lead her lesson.   
  
They had a bit of time before they had to do anything for the band, so Harry magically sent the book back to his safe in their room and then they went on a walk around the town. It was a cool day, and there were a few people out and about. Harry and Louis waved at some people who waved at them first, smiling from a distance. A few fans approached them and they posed for photos as they always had.   
  
After the first few rounds of fans, Harry and Louis finally walked alone along the sidewalk.  
  
"This is nice," Harry observed. It kind of felt like they were walking as a couple. They  _were_  one, but everyone else just saw them as friends. Still, it felt like they were on a little date, taking a a walk to the park or something. He smiled at Louis, hopeful that when they  _did_  reveal they were together, they would be holding hands in a situation like this.   
  
"This is true, Curly. This is true." Louis agreed. "And you did well back there, by the way."   
  
Harry replied, "I do try. And thank you. I'm actually glad you were there."  
  
"Aww," Louis reached up and messed Harry's hair, "So soppy."  
  
"Well, I guess you make me soppy." Harry said, looking away. "Speaking of that... I do want to talk about something, I guess. So you know how Niall... when are we going to..." He trailed off, not sure how to word it. Come out? Sounded too gay. Tell everyone? Tell everyone  _what_ , exactly? But luckily Louis understood. He nodded, looking away a bit shyly as well.   
  
Louis shrugged. "I don't know. When do  _you_  want to?"   
  
"I don't know either." Harry admitted. "But... we're in our twenties. We've been doing this for a few years... and I  _love_  you. And maybe it's stupid, but I know I want to stay with you. That's what I want, Louis. And I know it's not just our decision. Niall may have done it spontaneously, but we have to consider the lads. And what our label will say. They're fine with it being a secret, I guess. But  _telling_... that would affect everything."   
  
Then Louis stopped walking. Harry only noticed when Louis grabbed his hand. He turned around and looked at Louis, who smiled at him. "Come here."   
  
Harry only took a few steps before Louis wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. Harry rested his cheek on Louis' shoulder, closing his eyes. He was sure that people saw them. He didn't care. He grinned. He felt at peace like this. Even before he and Louis had gotten together, he had always felt so calm when he was this close to Louis. Even when Louis was a PAUSE member, seducing and hooking up with random girls, several of them supernaturals. Though Harry hadn't known about Louis' involvement with PAUSE at the time, he'd definitely known there were girls, and though he'd kind of been jealous, whenever Louis gave him this kind of attention that jealousy had just disappeared.   
  
When Harry finally backed away, he looked up at Louis, really,  _really_  tempted to just go for it and kiss him right here. Louis was doing this pout like he  _expected_  it. Harry figured they probably _looked_  like they were going to kiss. He might as well just...  _no_. That wasn't how they were going to do this.   
  
Still. He wanted to.   
  
"You need to stop looking like that." Harry said quietly so that he  _knew_  no one else could hear.   
  
"Sorry, I can't just stop being this hot." Louis did, striking a flamboyant pose. Harry rolled his eyes and Louis laughed, reaching out for Harry's hand. Harry gaped at him as Louis grasped his hand tightly and didn't let go.   
  
"What are you doing?" Harry asked.   
  
Louis shrugged. "Testing the waters. Not like we're actually admitting to anything. We're just being... bromancey."   
  
"Hmm." Harry replied. "And if I pushed you up against that tree over there," He lifted his chin up to indicate which tree, "And snogged you, would that be bromancey?"   
  
Louis almost looked like he  _was_  going to kiss him now. He stepped forward just a bit and his lips trembled the slightest bit. "That would be  _very_  bromancey."   
  
"We should keep walking." Harry said, stepping away but still holding Louis' hand. "So that we don't get out of control."   
  
So they walked. A few people stopped in their tracks when they saw them holding hands, but Harry didn't really care. He actually thought Louis was being pretty brave about it; he would have expected Louis to drop his hand by now. But Louis didn't. He grasped Harry's hand tighter whenever he noticed somebody looking.  
  
"Have to get used to it." Louis said. "For when we tell for real."   
  
Harry nodded. "I agree."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Liam entered the kitchen of the X Factor house, saying hello to some of the girl contestants as they left to go see their own mentor. He had already talked to RJ, Cal, and Jake about their songs. He would be working with them in rehearsals later in the week. He was avoiding Cody. He knew he couldn't avoid him forever, but he could certainly try.   
  
He did feel bad about it. He did. He felt like shit for hooking up with Cody. He could get fired for this. He could lose the respect of millions. But Cody said he would take care of it, and Liam actually believed him. After what they had done, Cody had actually... not been the biggest prick on the planet.   
  
Still. He'd run into Niall afterwards. One look into Niall's eyes had reminded him exactly what he'd done. He was pushing Niall away because of the whole gay thing, but then he'd gone and hooked up with another guy. And he wasn't even gay. With Cody, it was more about the power Cody had over him. The connection. It wasn't love, or whatever it was he felt for Niall.   
  
He stood in the kitchen alone (which surprised him as the house was quite full and the live shows hadn't started yet), staring at the spread of bread, fruit, and snacks that the contestants had left out. Normally he'd sneak a bit... but looking at food actually made him feel a little sick.   
  
A moment later, Cody entered the kitchen. Liam stiffened when he realized that Cody had  _expected_  to find him here. Was there no end to the abilities a a vampire maker had?   
  
"We should talk." Liam said, trying to appear brave. He looked around Cody to make sure no one was there. "About, uh, your performance this week."   
  
Cody smiled. "I had something else in mind."   
  
Liam shook his head. "No. Uh... come on. Let's go outside to my car."   
  
"Ooh, kinky." Cody commented, turning so that they could leave the house.   
  
Liam blinked and then caught up with him. He wanted to reprimand Cody for saying that, but he knew that if he did, Cody would retaliate, perhaps violently. So he kept quiet until he and Cody got into the car, Liam into the driver's seat and Cody next to him in the passenger seat.   
  
Liam grasped the wheel, even though he wasn't actually about to drive. "Cody, what happened can  _not_  happen again. It's important to remain professional, alright? And we haven't, so... we have to."   
  
Cody reached out and put an arm around Liam's shoulders, massaging his shoulder. Liam bit his lip. "Liam, it's not like anyone has to know. And you can't tell me you didn't actually like it. It's amazing with another vampire, isn't it? If you're with a human, with  _Niall_ ," Liam flinched, "he can't match you. You know he can't. What we have is something unique. And you  _love_  it."   
  
"I  _don't_  love it." Liam protested. And yeah, he had to admit that some of Cody's words were true. When they had been together, Cody  _did_  match him in terms of strength and intensity. It had been  _powerful_  and... kind of hot. But he would always feel guilty because Cody wasn't Niall. Because he would rather be with Niall, a  _human_. And like the biggest moron on the planet, he'd hurt him in more ways than one. He wished he could go back to when he and Niall had first gotten together. He hadn't hurt Niall then. He felt like they were ruined for anyone other than each other now. Now that he'd had Niall... he couldn't really go back. As hard as he tried. "This isn't what I want, Cody."   
  
"You'll get used to it." Cody told him. "Anyway, you're going to be around forever. Niall isn't. Another check in the the pro-us column." He simulated making a check mark with his fingers. "Seriously, you will. Unless... you want me to turn your bandmates as well. What if I did that?"   
  
Something about the way Cody said it made Liam pause. He looked up into Cody's eyes. It was there. That menacing, threatening look. He wasn't  _offering_  to turn the other lads for him. He was  _threatening_  to do it. He was saying that if Liam didn't go through with all of this, Cody would do exactly what he'd done to Niall, Louis, Zayn, and Harry. Not that he could do it to Harry, because Harry would freeze him and stake him before he even got the chance, but if he got the other lads alone one-by-one... Liam shook his head. "Don't. Please. I don't want this for them."   
  
"Well, then...." Cody reached up and traced Liam's jaw with his finger, and then leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips. "We agree. And remember, Liam, you have nothing to worry about with  _professionalism_. Vampires kind of rule the world. We can make mortals believe they didn't see something, or that they did. So if you want out, you're going to need a better excuse."   
  
Liam leaned back in his seat, defeated, and a moment later, Cody straddled his lap, kissing him hard. And as much as he didn't want to, he gave in.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The house was empty when Niall got in, which he was kind of grateful for. He didn't want to face Liam. Well, he didn't want to face  _anyone_. Because Louis would get him to talk in an instant, and most likely Harry would be there as well. Not that Harry wasn't a great person to talk to... he just didn't want to add more tension. This was between him and Liam.   
  
He had spent the night at a friend's flat. For a few hours he had contemplated attempting to hook up with someone random. Now he could do whatever he wanted with guys and girls who were willing. He and Liam were done, so what was stopping him? But he'd gotten a bit more drunk than he planned and ended up crashing at a friend's place on his couch. He hadn't even bothered to text Harry, Louis, or Liam. He'd sent something to Zayn, apparently, telling him he was okay and to let the others know if they freaked out. But most likely Zayn had slept through their freakout anyway.   
  
Sleep sounded pretty good right about now.   
  
But first, he needed something to eat. He quickly made a sandwich and took it up to his room, opening up his laptop immediately.   
  
The first thing he did was check Twitter. He mostly read his timeline because his mentions were always spammed by fans asking for him to follow or tweet them, though he did read his mentions sometimes when he had the patience (which wasn't too often, unfortunately). He noted Harry and Louis tweeting each other ridiculous, flirtatious things. Harry called Louis "Sweetbuns," which made Niall roll his eyes and giggle just a bit.  _Sweetbuns_? Seriously? No doubt their fans loved it.   
  
Then he did check his mentions, just to see if anyone was tweeting him anything interesting. Mostly they weren't, but then something caught his eyes. A link to a fansite Niall hadn't heard of before. And he'd thought he'd seen all the fansites.   
  
He clicked the link.  
  
It turned out to be one of those fan forums, full of different topics and fanfictions. Niall had read some fanfiction about him and the lads, and a lot of the time it made him laugh, especially the stories about them getting together with random, invented girls. He found the ones pairing them all together interesting, though, and made damn sure to never tell Zayn that he'd read fic about him hooking up with Liam or Harry.   
  
He skipped over the fanfiction this time in favor of the normal topics. They were pretty much what Niall expected from this kind of website. Each of the lads had a separate forum and there was a general forum as well. He clicked on his own forum and saw that the latest topic was, "Niall admits he's bi!!!!"   
  
When he clicked on the topic, he saw that every single comment was actually supportive. Everyone was actually  _praising_  him for what he'd done on the spur of the moment. They were even praising him for not denying what he'd said in the tweet, though he had deleted it. He grinned, deciding he liked this forum. Though most of his Twitter mentions about it had been supportive, there had been the occasional asshole, calling him a "fag" or some other name (though that word didn't sting him as much as it could have been, because Sean had always called him that as a term of endearment). But on this website, everyone seemed nice. Someone even said, "Yes! Now Liam just needs to realize his feelings for him!"   
  
And Niall had to agree. Though they were a step ahead of the fans with that one.   
  
Instinctively, he checked Liam's forum next. He knew he was being stupid, torturing himself with mentions of Liam every chance he got, but he couldn't help it. Even though he was furious with the guy, he couldn't stop himself. Most of Liam's forum consisted of X Factor stuff, including people shipping Liam with the guys he mentored. It wouldn't have bothered Niall that much, expect most of them shipped Liam with Cody, which made Niall shudder. If any of them knew the truth about Cody, they would hate him. There was also another topic, noting that Liam had gotten hotter recently. Niall concurred, though he was well aware that Liam had gotten hotter with age, and not just because he was a vampire now. Though becoming a vampire did add _something_. Whatever hotness Liam had had before, his vampirism enhanced it. He mused about that as he clicked back to the general forum.   
  
He also found it funny that each pairing within the band had its own forum. Not surprisingly, his and Liam's forum hadn't been updated for a few days. Some of the topics were about how Liam and Niall seemed to avoid each other now, though they'd been really close at the beginning of their being a band. Some speculated that maybe Liam or Niall had gotten a girlfriend and the other felt alienated. He shook his head at that, though that would have at least been  _normal_. He couldn't remember the last time his life was normal.   
  
When he looked at the "Larry" forum, he found it had just been updated with a topic about how Louis and Harry had apparently been seen holding hands in Cheshire. Fans were already freaking out and speculating, as they had over the past few years. The majority of fans had always paired them off, ever since they were all on X Factor, but they had never actually  _held hands in public_. Niall wasn't even surprised by it, though. He just envied Louis and Harry's fearlessness. That was what he wanted with Liam. Too bad Liam was a fucking coward.   
  
The fans had already said that Louis and Harry should just come out, join Niall's ranks. Niall laughed at that, because it was true. He felt much freer now that he'd told the truth, at least about himself. And it was funny because last night, the girls he'd met had even paid more attention than they ever had. And they had brought guys along as well.   
  
There were also some fans in the forum talking about Harry and Vanessa, suggesting that Louis had been the catalyst for their breakup. Again, Niall chuckled. If only they knew the truth. He felt kind of privileged to know what was  _actually_  going on.   
  
Again, Niall decided to check his own forum and noticed that someone had posted a new comment under his "bi" topic. Someone had written:   
  
' _Remember a few years ago when the boys all went missing and that rumour about Niall, Liam, and Zayn going to a gay club in NYC came out? They denied it. Well, actually, they never actually said it wasn't true, they just acted like the rumour was weird. You know what? I bet it was true. I bet Niall knew what he was back then. But where does that leave Liam and Zayn?_ '   
  
Niall loved that he had all the answers to their questions so much that he smirked at his computer screen.   
  
He remembered the gay club. It had been this place called Rush. He'd had what he'd thought was a hopeless crush on Liam, and he'd tried to flirt with this asshole hipster called Blue. He rolled his eyes; he hadn't really known what his type was back then, just that he was kind of attracted to dudes. But his type was, well, tall, kind of goofy, cute, nice... well, his type was Liam. And he hated that Liam was trying to push him away. And what he was doing with Cody... he didn't even want to think about that.   
  
As of on cue, there was a knock on the door. Somehow Niall knew it was Liam. He stayed quiet, fighting the urge to tell him to fuck off.   
  
"Niall? I know you're in there. My vampy senses are tingling."   
  
Normally, Niall would find that funny, but he was still angry. Despite his annoyance, he walked over to the door and opened it to find Liam, looking at him curiously. "What do you want?"   
  
"To talk?" Liam asked, smiling sheepishly.   
  
It was unfortunate, but that was all it took for Niall to give in. It was always that smile that did him in. He opened the door wider to let Liam into the room. Liam lingered in the doorway for a moment before walking over to Niall's bed and sitting. He'd done this so many times before, but this time was different. This time there were barriers between them and Niall didn't feel entirely comfortable, no matter how much he cared about Liam.   
  
"So talk." Niall said, crossing his arms. "I'm not in the mood to just watch you sit."   
  
Liam nodded. "So... I just got back from X Factor stuff. I had a meeting, and then I went to check on the boys at the X Factor house."   
  
"Congratulations, mate." Niall said sarcastically. He'd probably gone and slept with Cody again.   
  
"I need to explain about Cody." Liam told him, frowning. Niall glared at him, but Liam took that as a cue to continue. "I don't like Cody. I don't care about him and I don't  _want_  to be with him. I'm stuck, Niall. He has power over me. Vampire maker power. Not only that, but he's threatening to hurt you lads unless I do what he says. Worse, it's possible he could make  _me_  hurt you. He could make me kill you or turn you. So I have to give him what he wants."   
  
"Great." Niall said. "You done?"   
  
Liam nodded again. "I guess. Yeah."   
  
"Cool." Niall replied, stepping forward. "You don't owe me an explanation, man. You think you do, but the truth is even without Cody you'd be acting like a moron and pushing me away. You were doing that before you were turned and you'd continue doing it if you hadn't been turned. And I'm fucking sick of it, Liam. I want something real. I thought you'd want something real. You _used_  to be like that. You can't deal with being bi,  _fine_ , but don't mess with me while you're going through a sexuality crisis. It's annoying and I'm completely and totally done with it. I won't lie. I want you. For some reason I want you. But you've become a user, Liam. The least likely in the band to be a user has become one and probably doesn't even realize it. So until you get your shit together, I don't want this."   
  
Liam blinked at him. "I'm sorry."   
  
"If you want something real, I'm here. Until then, I'm gonna enjoy myself. Have fun with your maker." Niall told him, looking away. "Now get out of my room."   
  
To his surprise, Liam listened. He stood up and left the room, not even casting a glance in Niall's direction.  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
 _A few days later_    
  
  
Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on his spell. He could feel the light leaving his hand into the direction Charles would appear.   
  
Today was the day. Summoning day. The day he'd informed Charles he would summon him and the day Charles would reveal what exactly what was going on with Harry's spirit spellbook.   
  
 _Mine, Alysa's, and Gabe's_ , he corrected himself reluctantly. Though part of him selfishly hoped that Charles would tell him that the thirteen year olds' names were mistakes, he knew that wasn't true. The book didn't have any mistakes in it.   
  
Harry opened his eyes in time to see a figure appear before him. Charles was in his ghostly form, which was what the spell he'd cast called for. He couldn't talk to orbs, and since spirits existed in several forms, this was the best choice. He noted that Charles looked like himself - his 1900 self - only old-aged. Harry regarded him, surprised. He'd seen a few ghosts like this, but none he actually knew. He was glad he was sitting in the sofa because he wasn't sure he'd be able to stand very stably without   
  
"Hello, Harry," Charles greeted him. His voice sounded a bit staticky, but other than that it was normal enough. Harry heard him well enough to make out his words.   
  
"Hi." Harry replied. "I don't know how much time has passed for you in your world since I last saw you... but I said I would summon you today, and-"   
  
"I was prepared for it. Believe me." Charles assured him, nodding. "Not prepared for what is happening, but prepared for this meeting. I have been preparing for it for awhile."   
  
"So what is it?" Harry asked, suddenly impatient. "And thank you for agreeing to come, by the way."   
  
"Of course, Harry. We're going to need you. You, Alysa, and Gabriel."   
  
Harry blinked. "You're going to  _need_  us?" So it really was something big. That wasn't just speculation.   
  
"You have to understand, Harry. In our world, we have almost no rules. The only rule is that everyone is equal, which maintains a natural balance. We're all in the same position - dead. Social status, gender, race, that no longer matters. We all coexist. There is no prime minister, king, queen, dictator, or president. It is a rule, albeit an unwritten one, and it is enforced by the majority. We want peace, even those who hurt others during their lifetimes. At least, we did."   
  
Suddenly, Harry dreaded what was coming. He was starting to get an idea of it.   
  
"Some of our kind disagree. They've disagreed for a long time. They dislike that we are separated from the human world. They want a free reign of both, because they think they are entitled to it. The problem is that while spirits can come here, to inhabit both worlds upsets the balance of nature. And when spirits decide to upset the balance of nature, they become unnatural. Demonic. And it makes them... worse. They can be deadly."   
  
"So, what are we dealing with here, Charles?" Harry asked quietly, though he was pretty sure he got the gist of it.   
  
"A rebellion. These dark spirits - they want to rule over the living. They have the ability to if there are enough of them here. And if the dark spirits come here and start this plan they have been working on for a long time, everyone is in danger. Everyone. Normal spirits can't hurt anyone, but dark ones can cause as much destruction as they want if there are enough of them."   
  
Harry swallowed nervously. "Oh god."   
  
"There is a group of us working to restore the balance, but we physically cannot do anything without turning dark. And that is why there are three names in the book this time around. We chose Alysa and Gabriel because of their great power, even if they haven't realized it yet. Alone, you can make a dent in the dark spirits' plan. But three of you together could restore the balance, we are sure of it. And owners of the book are the only ones who physically can."   
  
Harry knew. Like Charles said, the spirits would become demons, and any normal human or supernatural would die if they even tried. "So what should I do, Charles?"   
  
And he really was willing to do anything if it saved all of humanity. He may have been busy with band stuff, family, Louis, and friends in general, but he knew he had to do this. It was what he had been chosen to do, and as difficult as it was going to be, it was what was right.   
  
Charles stepped forward, and stared down at him, looking Harry right in the eyes. "Train Alysa and Gabriel. Train them as efficiently and as fast as you can. You will know when the time comes."   
  
Harry wanted to ask what Charles meant. The time for what? He began to speak, but before he could get all the words out, the ghost started to fade away and a moment later he was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

_The following June_    
  
  


  
_One Direction to go on a Hiatus_ __

_Bad news, One Direction fans. Yesterday, the lads posted on their official website that they will be taking an extended break. No, this does not mean that they are breaking up. Far from it. According to Louis Tomlinson, who gave an interview yesterday evening, they are going on hiatus to focus on their own solo projects, including music and other endeavors. Zayn's modeling career is taking off, and Niall's charity is becoming an international hit. Liam is gearing up for his second series of the X Factor. Harry is going on a mysterious vacation, which he refuses to give any details about. But Louis assured us that this is not the end of One Direction. They still "very much care about each other" and they will continue to live together in London, despite their various travels. It seems as they just needed a bit of a break from band obligations._

_The word on the street is that when their contracts with Syco were up for renewal, they had a long heart-to-heart talk with their label. We are not sure exactly what happened during that meeting, but they ended up with exactly what they wanted. A break. We know that their contracts_ will _be renewed, but they are currently on hold._

_The good news is that One Direction's hiatus should be over by the end of the year. In fact, Louis teased that they would most likely be performing on this year's X Factor final. Until then, ladies and gents, we'll just have to listen to their albums and stare at our posters, willing them to end this hiatus faster._

_Come back soon, One Direction! We love you!_   


  
  
  
  
  
"Great. Can you call it over to you now?" Harry asked. He sat on the side, watching Alysa and Gabe stare up at the large orb. "Alysa, how about you?"   
  
Alysa nodded determinedly, pursing her lips. She glanced down at the book, just to make sure she had the spell right, and then spoke in Astairnian as she made a  _come here_  motion with her hand, "Over," It was only one word, but she had to get the exact light right, and she had to be in the correct mindset.  
  
The orb moved from the wall into the air, becoming see-through and translucent. It continued to move toward Alysa until it reached her hand. It sat on her hand like a butterfly would, and Harry leaned forward, impressed. "That's awesome."   
  
"Yeah,  _awesome_ ," Gabe mimicked, holding out his own right hand. "Over."   
  
The orb moved from Alysa's hand over to Gabe's. The moment the orb reached Gabe's hand, it flew back to Alysa. Harry laughed. "Can you ask it questions? Whether it's a man or woman? Make it communicate with you if you can."   
  
Alysa fired off questions immediately, and every time she got something right, the orb glowed just a bit brighter.   
  
Harry gave the two of them orders as he mused about the past few months and what they would be facing soon. He had been doing exactly what Charles had told him to. He had been training Alysa and Gabe as well as he could since October. Charles had said that he would know when it was time for something, and he was starting to get the picture. He'd been having dreams lately, weird ones about what he could only assume was the spirit world from what it looked like and who inhabited it (Charles, dead famous people, and so many others he recognized). And that was how he knew that to reason with the dark spirits, he was going to have to travel to the spirit world, and he was going to have to bring Alysa and Gabe along with him. Alysa had been nervous but had agreed to do it immediately, eager to deal with some ghostly action. Gabe, on the other hand, had been resistant until a spirit had apparently haunted him at night and scared him shitless until he agreed to fulfill his duty. Harry felt kind of bad about that, but he seemed to be fine with it now. He was actually getting into the spells he'd professed to hate before.   
  
When he'd broken the news to everyone, there had been some mixed reactions. His mum, step-dad, Gemma, and Dana had all freaked out at first. His mum had actually tried to convince him to do this some other way. Harry had insisted he couldn't. This was  _the_  way. It was what felt right. He'd never done the "enter the spirit world" spell before, but he read it over and over, more and more certain that he had to do it. Zayn, Liam, and Niall had all thought it was kind of cool, even though they were definitely kind of worried for him.   
  
Louis had been the most difficult. He had flipped out more than everyone in Harry's family combined. He'd protested a lot. Harry had argued back, and Louis hadn't spoken to him for a few hours. He'd told Harry he just had to be alone. He had to think about this. Not think about letting Harry do it, as that was Harry's decision, but he needed to calm down, take it all in. After all, he knew how time passed in the spirit world. He knew that Harry was dealing with dark spirits. He was worried.   
  
Later, Louis had come back and they'd talked in their room. Louis had told him he was just worried about losing Harry. After all, what if something went wrong? Something could  _always_  go wrong. But he knew that Harry had to do this. He knew how important it was. Harry had held Louis close, assuring him that he was going to do whatever he could to get back to him as soon as possible.   
  
And the reasons for that included the obvious, but also because he didn't want to leave Louis alone with the other lads  _too_  long. It had just been too weird lately.   
  
For months now, Liam and Niall had been tense and on edge. They had been avoiding each other as much as possible. When they were in the same room, they barely spoke anymore. But Harry could tell they wanted to. Whenever Niall left the room, Liam stared after him in this gross, in love way. Yet he never did anything about it.   
  
Harry knew the problem was Cody. Liam had revealed two months ago that Cody still had Liam in his grasp. It had become worse since Cody had come fourth on the X Factor. Another of Liam's boys had beaten him, so Cody had shown no mercy. Just has they had suspected he would, he hynotized his way into getting a record deal. Harry knew that Liam would be upset if Harry did it, but he thought about staking Cody anyway.   
  
Because of Cody's issues and Liam's insecurities, Niall had been spending a lot more time out of the house than in it. He was starting to become a little like he'd been at the beginning of their being a band - he'd basically sleep with any girl who offered. He was slightly more picky now, and Harry could tell Niall's heart wasn't in it, but he still did it all the same. And with guys thrown into the mix, he had so many more people to choose from.   
  
Zayn, of course, had been avoiding the drama. He tried to get involved at first. He tried to reason with Liam and Niall, and tell them they were being complete idiots, but they hadn't listened. Whatever was going on with them was something they had to fix themselves. So Zayn had thrown himself into modeling even more. He was gone quite often, though he'd been back recently to discuss the contracts issue.   
  
They loved being a band. They really did. And they all cared about each other so much. The problem was that everyone had their own thing going on now. They wouldn't break up - they knew that. But they did need a break. If not because of their solo projects, because Harry wasn't sure how long he would be gone. He hoped he would be back as soon as possible, but there was no way to know for sure. His estimate was a few months. That was what he was counting on, and he hoped he was right.   
  
"I think you guys are going to do great when we go." Harry told them as he approached the two now-fourteen year olds. It had also been difficult to convince Gabe and Alysa's parents to let them go. At first they were even reluctant to believe their kids could see ghosts. But after thoroughly explaining the situation, their parents had eventually agreed. Harry promised to keep them safe, though Gabe professed that he could take care of himself.   
  
"I know I'm gonna be awesome." Gabe said, closing the book. Harry gently took it, gripping it tightly. He was going to take it home and pack it away safely with the rest of his things, everything he planned to bring. The good thing about the spirit world was that they, too, would become otherworldly. They wouldn't have to deal with bodily functions; their bodies would adapt. They wouldn't need to eat. When Harry told Niall that, Niall had commented that he'd never survive there.  
  
"You're  _both_  going to be awesome." Harry corrected him, not wanting to inflate Gabe's ego. He smiled at Alysa, who grinned back. He even gave Gabe a small smile, even though Gabe rolled his eyes.   
  
"We'll meet tomorrow to discuss the time we're going and our belongings. And then the day after that, we'll go to the spirit world." Harry said. He tried to sound brave, but he honestly didn't know what would happen.   
  
  
  
A few minutes later, Harry went to his mum and step-dad's house. Gemma was already there as well as Dana, because those two had been joined at the hip for months. Even Mike was there.   
  
They had a small family meal. Everyone tried to make the conversation light. They tried to avoid how much they'd miss each other and how terrified they all were. Harry did his best to distract everyone by telling them what the other lads would be up to during One Direction's hiatus. "And Louis will be around. He's doing some solo gigs and I think he's helping Liam out with judges houses this year. Anyway, if you need him, he's here for you. And the other lads will be as much as you can."   
  
"They're not replacements for you." Anne told him.   
  
"I'm not saying they have to be." Harry replied, glancing at everyone at the table. "But... well... considering me and Louis... and not to mention they're all like family."   
  
"They  _are_  family." Robin agreed. "But you need to hurry back."   
  
"I will." Harry smiled. "It's going to be fine. I promise."   
  
He hoped.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
That night, as soon as Harry came back from his family time, Louis took control. He appeared in the living room, and Louis glanced over at Zayn and Liam before taking Harry by the sleeve and leading him upstairs.   
  
Once they were in their room, Louis pushed Harry down onto the bed and then climbed over him, kissing every part of Harry that he could. He did all the work, taking Harry's shirt off of him and slipping his trousers down to his ankles. He had Harry naked quickly, as Harry was  _always_  eager to get naked. Despite that, he mostly just concentrated on putting his mouth wherever he could, touching Harry lightly, making him need more.   
  
He moved up to kiss Harry's mouth and then down the side of his face and his neck, flicking his tongue against Harry's skin. Harry reached up and with one tug on Louis' shirt, his clothes were gone. They were skin to skin, and Louis savored the feeling. He knew that sometimes he took this for granted. Sometimes they want at it quite fast, desperately. But he needed to make this last. He needed to make tomorrow night last. Because he wasn't sure how long he'd have to go without feeling Harry against him. Even just holding him, being close to him, he'd taken those things for granted too.   
  
He kissed Harry again deeply, and said, "I love you" against his mouth, wondering how he could have ever been stupid enough to try and convince himself he didn't. The only logical conclusion was that he'd always loved Harry, even when he'd tried not to.   
  
He really did make it last as long as he possibly could. He also made it as romantic as he could. He'd always kind of thought the phrase "making love" was cheesy and weird, but Harry made him understand it. He and Harry both took turns making love to each other, and after they were finished, they snogged again for awhile, even though they were too exhausted to do anything else.   
  
Soon enough, Harry fell asleep. Louis lay next to him, absently fingering Harry's curls like he always did. Maybe it was a bit creepy, but he liked watching Harry sleep. Sometimes, yes, he did end up drawing on Harry's face or putting bows in his hair. He'd played plenty of pranks on Harry in his sleep, even after they had gotten together. But right now he just savored the time they had together.   
  
It was just so weird. A few days in the spirit world could be a year here on Earth. And Louis was kind of worried about that. A lot could happen in a year. Not that he'd actually fall in love with anyone else. He couldn't see that happening. But who knew what the world would be like? What he and the other lads would be up to when Harry came back? Would he be able to get used to sleeping alone again?   
  
As long as Harry came back, it would be okay. He knew it would.   
  
But what if Harry didn't come back?   
  
Louis closed his eyes, trying to push that thought out of his mind. But he couldn't. What if Harry got hurt in the spirit world? What if those dark demon things killed him and possessed him? And the worst part was, if they got Alysa and Gabe as well, Louis would never know. But he also knew that he had to have faith in Harry. His  _other_  magic had been developing well over the past five years.   
  
Anyway, how many times had he come close to losing Harry over the years? He could have lost Harry if Harry refused to join One Direction. Louis had always been up for it, but if Harry didn't want to do it, who knew what Louis' life would be like now? Who would he be with? Would he be happy?   
  
He'd come close to losing Harry when Adrian kidnapped them. He'd tried to steal Harry's magic and then kill the both of them. Louis sometimes still felt bad about that because he'd been a member of PAUSE. He had thought that magic powers were too dangerous for anyone to possess. And, yeah, they were dangerous, but he'd seen the amount of control Harry's coven had over their magic. He wished he'd gotten all the facts when he was learning about witches and other supernaturals, but clearly PAUSE had held back information. He'd come close to losing Harry because of that, too. He'd almost lost Harry because of his PAUSE upbringing and because he'd actually lied about it.   
  
He had come close to losing Harry when he'd accidentally let a poltergeist loose in the house a year and a half ago. Harry had been trying to learn how to communicate spirits more efficiently and had accidentally summoned a pretty mean poltergeist. Normal spirits couldn't usually do any harm, but dark spirits and poltergeists could. It had come after Harry and Harry had sent it away just in time because it had been just about to attack.   
  
He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. He knew he couldn't lose Harry. He couldn't even come close to it, because if that happened, he would feel like a part of him was lost as well. And he was pretty sure he was going to feel like that for as long as Harry was gone, no matter what face he put on for fans and crowds at performances. He'd always smile, because that was just his way, but he knew it would show. He just.. he wanted them to have pieces of each other to carry around, something to look forward to, until Harry got back.   
  
And then he knew what he had to do. He sat straight up, his eyes wide. He glanced down at Harry for a moment before getting out of bed, fully naked, and grabbing his mobile phone off the dresser. He quickly typed a text to Liam, Niall, and Zayn. ' _SOS - who's home? who's awake ? I need you!!_ '   
  
A moment later, he received a text from Zayn, ' _im home but theres no way im joining u and the ur boyfriend sry_." After that, he received texts from Niall and Liam. They were all home.   
  
' _Meet me in the living room in 5 ! Important!!_ ' he texted to all of them. Then he threw on some clothes as quickly as he could. A quick glance in the mirror told him his shirt was inside out but he didn't really care. He walked over to Harry and kissed him on the forehead, smiling down at him. Harry rustled a bit but otherwise he was fast asleep. Perfect.   
  
Louis made as little sound as he could as he left the room.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
The next evening, Niall walked into the house after a meeting with some of the people he'd joined forced with for his charity. He couldn't believe it was going international. Soon he'd be flying around the world, and not for band stuff, but because of something separate. God, that was amazing!   
  
Everything was changing. He couldn't believe how much everything was changing.   
  
He set down his keys where he usually put them, on a shelf in the foyer. Then he looked into the living room to see if anyone was in there, and just his luck, saw Liam.   
  
His heart and stomach still did flips whenever he saw Liam. He thought that after a few months of going cold turkey with Liam, he would be able to get over him. He thought that by trying to be interested in new people, or throwing himself into work, things would get easier. Maybe Liam being a vampire now would make him less appealing.   
  
But  _nope_.   
  
Liam looked over and saw him, blinking and silent.   
  
Niall considered ignoring him, avoiding him. It would probably be easier than talking to him. But he found himself walking into the living room toward Liam instead. And it wasn't like Liam was making him do it. It was because, deep down, he wanted to. He didn't want to avoid Liam, as hard as it was to talk to him.   
  
"Hey." Niall said, standing awkwardly in front of him.   
  
"Hi." Liam said, scooting over a bit, making room for Niall. Niall hesitated, but he sat down, suddenly feeling a sort of flushed. He faced Liam as Liam said, "Hi" again, before looking away. Niall was pretty sure if Liam could blush now, he would.   
  
"So." Niall replied, "You okay? With everything going on?"   
  
Liam nodded. "Yeah. I mean, of course I'm fine. I'll miss Harry. We all will."   
  
That was true. Harry had been Niall's confidant for years. He'd gone to Harry after he decided to stop everything with Liam. Not that Niall didn't miss being with Liam, because he did, but Harry had talked him into not going back to Liam until Liam came senses and was able to give Niall something real like he wanted. He deserved that, and he knew it, but it helped to have reinforcement sometimes.   
  
"So tomorrow is really happening." Niall said, leaning back against the sofa. "Can't believe it.  _Wow_."   
  
"It's going to be a big day." Liam agreed. "But we're going to get through it. We just have to remember to be-"   
  
"I know." Niall said. He knew where they had to be. As random as it was.   
  
"I can't wait to see Harry's face." Liam replied, chuckling.   
  
At that, Niall glanced over at Liam. Honestly, hearing that actually kind of  _hurt_. He agreed, but it sucked that Liam couldn't be the same way. Louis had dealt with the whole gay thing, why couldn't Liam? Then again, maybe Cody was working on that with him, Niall thought, shuddering. Still, Liam could be happy about Harry and Louis being together, but when it came to himself... "Yeah, it'll be amazing."   
  
Something in Niall's voice must have made Liam pause, because he glanced over at Niall curiously. "What's wrong?"   
  
"Nothing." Niall denied, far too quickly. This wasn't working. Being separate from Liam wasn't working. Because he was drawn to everything about Liam, and it had only intensified in their months apart. He wanted more. He needed more. But when they were just hooking up sometimes... maybe that was better than nothing?  
  
No. No, he deserved better.   
  
"I can read your emotions, Niall."   
  
"Then obviously you know what's wrong." Niall told him. He shook his head. "I shouldn't... I should get out of here." He started to stand, but Liam caught his wrist. He held Niall's wrist gently, which made Niall look at him again. Liam was genuinely  _concerned_ , and his mouth made this stupidly adorable pout.   
  
"Niall." Liam said quietly. "You know I would fix this if I could."   
  
"Would you?" Niall asked in disbelief. "Because honestly, the only thing standing between us is Cody. That and your denial."   
  
Liam shook his head. "I'm not in denial. I promise. Not after what you did," he said, referring to how Niall had outed himself on Twitter, "and definitely not after tomorrow. The only thing  _is_ Cody. I hate the hold he has over me. If he hadn't turned me into  _this_ ," he spread out his left arm while he continued to hold Niall's wrist with his right hand, as if that would translate to  _turned me into a vampire_ , "then right about now I would be making things right. I hate not being with you. It  _sucks_ , Niall."   
  
"Good." Niall said, his voice cracking a little from the nerves, "It's supposed to suck."   
  
Liam gripped the sofa cushion tightly, probably because he was nervous as well. "I think that I've been freaking out about... well,  _us_ , because I don't want people to put a label on us. I don't want to be thought of as a gay band. I just want us to be five guys who sing. But once you say you're gay or bi, that's attached to you for the rest of your career. And not to sound annoying, but we're  _famous_. Really famous. Girls want to marry us." Niall knew Liam wasn't just saying that because of his ego. It was true. Fans had wanted to 'marry' them from the beginning. "What if we revealed the truth and then the fans realize their only hope is Zayn? Would they lose interest in us? I wouldn't want to risk any of our careers because of something like being bi."   
  
Niall shook his head. "They wouldn't lose interest. Liam, there's a whole bunch of fans who pair us together as a couple. Harry and Louis, too. They even get Zayn in on it. You know that fanfiction stuff? They  _write_  about us together. I think if we told the truth, the fans would be over the moon."   
  
Liam stared at him for a few seconds, and then asked in an amused tone, "They write about us?"   
  
And that was how Niall wound up upstairs in his room with Liam, sitting on his bed while they looked at fansites on Niall's laptop. Since finding the forum about pairing them together, Niall had gone searching and found so much more than he could have ever imagined. It was weird because it filled him with a sense of hope. Maybe showing this stuff to Liam would make him see that it would be totally fine. And after tomorrow, there would be no reason to deny it anymore.   
  
No reason except for Liam's maker.   
  
"You know, some of them are good writers." Liam said with a smile.   
  
"I know." Niall said. "And I think the support for the gay pairings has been growing over the years. I guess it helps that Louis is always all over us."   
  
Liam laughed. "Giving us love bites and the like."   
  
" _Exactly_ ," Niall replied, facing him. "So if we wanna be together, then the fans will be behind us."   
  
For a few seconds, Liam was quiet. He glanced back at the computer screen, and then down at his lap. He made some sort of face like he was thinking about something confusing, and then he looked up at Niall again. He asked, "Can I kiss you?"   
  
Niall stared at him. "What?" The thought of made his heartbeat speed up. He had been so determined  _not_  to start up anything with Liam again. But that didn't take away from the fact that he wanted to. He hadn't kissed Liam in months, not since the last time they'd had sex. "Probably shouldn't." he finally answered, trying to be strong about it. After all, he had been the one to set this in place. He'd kicked Liam out of his life. Well, his romantic and sex life.   
  
Liam nodded. "Cody would kill us both."   
  
"I wish you'd just let Harry stake him." Niall said, closing his laptop. Suddenly he wasn't in the mood to look at fanfiction or forums anymore. He knew it wasn't that simple, though. Liam had told them time and time again that he was too blood bound to Cody; he wouldn't be able to handle Cody's death, as much as he disliked the dude. Personally, Niall found that terrifying. Even more terrifying than screaming fangirls.   
  
Niall also knew that Cody and Liam were in the clear, now that X Factor had been over for half a year. If they wanted to tell the world they were a couple, they could. If Cody ordered Liam to announce it to the world, he  _would_. He'd have to. Niall hated the jealous feeling he got when he thought about it, and he hated that he always felt like he had to bury it. He'd never been too good at hiding his feelings, and having to do it for so long had messed with him. Truthfully, he was damn close to staking Cody himself, or at least trying. Not that he was ever a violent person, but if there was anyone he wanted to kill, it was that vampire.   
  
He knew that someday he would. But he needed help.   
  
  
  
A few hours later, Niall knocked on Zayn's door. Zayn opened the door, and said, "Thought you were asleep."   
  
Niall shook his head. "I was hanging out with Liam. And I need to talk to you about something." Zayn raised his eyebrows, but opened the door wider to invite him in. When they closed the door, Niall looked around. He didn't spend much time in Zayn's room; he was impressed by how neat it was. He was also amused by all the posters of hot models gracing his walls. For a moment, he forgot what he was even here about.   
  
"Uh, Niall," Zayn said, breaking Niall out of that trance. Niall looked away from the posters and faced Zayn again. "What's up?"   
  
Niall took a deep breath. Even though Harry had put sound-blocking spells on all of their bedrooms, claiming he didn't want to hear any of the others having sex, and he didn't want anyone to hear him and Louis, he was still nervous that Liam would hear him with his super-hearing Still, he had to say it. "I want to get rid of Cody."   
  
Zayn sat down on his bed. He sighed out of frustration. "Join the club, mate."   
  
"But Cody has a blood bound hold over him." Niall said. "We can't stake him, because it would make Liam depressed, and we can't confront him, because he'll kill Liam, and probably the rest of us."   
  
Zayn shrugged. "What should we do then? Lock him a tomb?"   
  
Niall had considered it. After Liam became a vampire, he'd gone on a vampire-television-show-marathon. He'd watched True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Being Human, and others. One thing he'd learned that each show, as well as each vampire movie, had its own version of vampire lore. Their vampires were all different, and could be killed or defeated in different ways. Sometimes they  _were_  locked up in a tomb, or just somewhere they weren't strong enough to escape from. But he had a feeling it would be difficult to locate a tomb to lock Cody in and even more difficult to get Cody there in the first place. He was too smart to get tricked into going there. After all, he'd been smart enough to get through the X Factor and get a record deal. He was getting by in the world without having to hide, and it wasn't because he was an idiot.   
  
"I do have an idea. Because I don't think any of us know everything about vampires. But we know someone who's been a vampire for a lot longer than Cody has." Niall said tentatively.   
  
Just as expected, Zayn tensed. He knew what was coming. "Uh."   
  
"Do you have Isabel's number?" Niall asked as boldly as he could. If Zayn said no, he said no. But it was worth a shot. Even though right now Zayn was looking at him like he wanted Niall to leave. Bad sign.   
  
But after a long moment, Zayn sighed again. "Yeah. Alright. Let's call her. Maybe she'll come."   
  
He took his mobile phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contacts until he found Isabel's phone number. He pressed the call button before he could chicken out and Niall walked over to sit right beside him in hopes that he would overhear some of the conversation. After a few rings, Isabel did answer. Even though Niall couldn't hear her totally clearly, she sounded the same as she had when she left the country. Niall briefly wondered where in the world she actually was.   
  
"Isabel?" Zayn asked. His tone was familiar, as if they talked all the time. And maybe they did. Niall realized that he hadn't though to ask him about her in awhile. Zayn didn't talk about his personal life too often but it was still nice to ask, he supposed. He would have to be a little less self-centered from now on. "I need your help."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"Let's go out."  
  
Harry looked up to find Louis standing in the doorway, holding on to either side of the doorway, his arms stretched out. He leaned forward anxiously. Harry had been finishing up his packing. He hadn't even expected Louis to be home, to be honest. He'd been out for most of yesterday, even though they'd both said they would spend Harry's last few days at home together. Of course, they'd had the night together, but Harry had also wanted to spend the day with Louis. Maybe Louis had stopped being so spacey.   
  
"Go out where?"   
  
"To eat." Louis shrugged. "A date or something."   
  
Harry crossed his arms. "You ignore me all yesterday, except for  _sex_  and  _now_  you come and ask to go out? Anyway, I refuse to go on a date with you if you didn't get me flowers and chocolates."   
  
"I had errands to run." Louis told him. "Anyway..." Louis stepped into the room, walking closer to Harry. "You're such diva."   
  
"I spoil you with my love and you go and disappear for most of yesterday." Harry smiled as he said it. He couldn't  _actually_  be angry with Louis. "Anyway, it can't be a real date. People don't know about us."   
  
"Maybe that should change soon." Louis said. He took Harry's hand. "So what do you say? A bite to eat?"   
  
And ultimately, Harry gave in. He couldn't not.   
  
  
Of course, they did run into a few fans when they went out to eat. There were a lot of fans who were excited that they were out together, insisting that it was a "Larry date." Even though it was, it amused Harry how some of the fans were so into a relationship they were so sure they were imagining. Louis made sure to lay it on thick, acting extra bromancey, putting an arm around Harry, and not sitting across from in the booth, but rather,  _next_  to him.   
  
Fans also approached them on the street, and followed them after Harry and Louis had taken pictures and signed some autographs. Harry was used to it, and it kind of amused him. A lot of the fans had asked about Harry's "holiday," but he hadn't been able to tell them anything, just that he would let everyone know when he was back.   
  
They continued walking until they approached a street corner, when Louis stopped walking.   
  
"I really wish you weren't going, Curly." Louis said. He sounded nervous, which Harry understood, because they would be spending so much time apart and Harry would be in a dangerous situation. Harry turned to face Louis, who was glancing down at Harry's knees.   
  
"I know, Louis. But you know I have to. Just keep reminding yourself of that, alright?" Harry asked. "And I'll be back before you know it."   
  
"You can do me a favor when you come back then." Louis said, finally looking up into Harry's eyes. He seemed nervous for some reason, which Harry thought was kind of cute.   
  
"What's that?" Harry asked, smiling. At this point he was willing to do anything for Louis. Anything.   
  
Louis took a shaky breath, and then smiled back at him. "Marry me?"   
  
At first, Harry wasn't sure he'd heard Louis right. There was no way Louis had actually just said that, right? No, he must not have. Because if either of them was brave enough to propose to the other, he hadn't thought it would be Louis. Not when it had taken Louis longer to be comfortable about the gay part of their relationship. And here he was, asking this in public. On a street corner. No one had heard them yet, because they were being quiet. But...no, Harry must not have heard him right. "Excuse me?"   
  
Now Louis stepped closer, reaching up so he held Harry's face in his hands. Harry glanced behind Louis quickly and noticed that people actually had stopped to stare. His gaze shifted back to Louis then, and he noticed just how bright and eager Louis' eyes seemed. Was... was he serious? "Marry," Louis said, leaning in closer. Harry held his breath until Louis spoke again, "me."  
  
Before Harry could respond, Louis pulled him into a passionate kiss that Harry could feel all the way down to his toes. Out of instinct, he reached out and pulled Louis closer, threading his fingers through Louis' hair. He kissed Louis back with such ferocity that he was surprised no one on the street corner had pulled them apart yet. Oh god, this was actually happening. Louis had just kissed him in front of  _everyone_. After asking Harry to  _marry him_. It had really happened.  _Oh god_ , Harry thought as he gently eased away. Now he didn't see anyone else who might have been watching. He only saw Louis looking at him.   
  
After a few seconds of silence, Harry said weakly, "Simple... but effective."   
  
Louis grinned widely. "Is that a yes?"   
  
Harry didn't even have to hesitate. He knew this was what he'd wanted for so long, even though he'd been much too young before. He knew that he wanted Louis forever. This was what was supposed to happen. Harry nodded. "That... is definitely a yes."   
  
"Good." Louis said, reaching into his pocket. Harry stared as Louis pulled a small jewelry box out and opened it to reveal a simple, yet really nice engagement ring. Louis had really thought this out, hadn't he, Harry realized. He took the ring out of the box, and placed it back in his pocket. Then he took Harry's hand and slipped the ring onto Harry's ring finger, smiling even bigger by the second. "I wasn't sure what to do exactly, 'cause we're both guys, and if I'm treating you too girly, let me know, but-"   
  
"It's perfect, Louis." Harry told him, looking down at his hand and then back up into Louis' eyes. "Love you."   
  
"Love you too." Louis said quietly, kissing him on the lips again quickly.   
  
All around them, strangers burst into applause. Harry finally pulled away from Louis slightly, and they both saw just how many people had gathered around them. Including... the other lads. They were all standing together, smiling brightly. Zayn, of all people, was actually  _beaming_.   
  
"Uh, I guess we just told everyone." Harry said, glancing to the side at Louis.   
  
Louis nodded nervously. He clearly hadn't expected this reaction. Maybe he'd expected people to stare, that was obviously going to happen either way. But  _applause_. Neither of them had expected that. Not in this setting. On a  _street corner_  of all places.  
  
Their three bandmates couldn't hold out anymore. Niall ran to them and flung himself at Harry, hugging him tightly. "That was the coolest!"   
  
Liam spoke more cautiously, standing beside Zayn as Zayn gave Louis a hug. "Louis came to us about this because he wanted to ask you. We're so glad you said yes."   
  
Harry looked at Louis again. "You asked their blessing?" For some reason that made his heart swell. Because it meant that he really did think of the other three as bandmates as brothers. "Did you ask my mum?"   
  
"Of course. She's probably waiting by the phone right now waiting for your call." Louis teased. "So you better go talk to her before you go."   
  
"You're ridiculous." Harry told him affectionately, kissing him on the mouth again. Then he hugged Zayn, Liam, and Niall for a second time, waved to the crowd, and headed to the car so that he could make the call. He couldn't get the nervous, mushy, happy feeling out of his stomach.   
  
When he got into the car, he dialed his mum's mobile. She answered on the second ring.   
  
"Mum?" Harry asked tentatively, his voice shaking.   
  
"He asked you!" Anne exclaimed joyfully. "He actually did. Tell me everything, honey!"   
  
Harry grinned. This was the best sendoff ever.   
  
  
  
  
Later that afternoon, Harry stood in the attic in the house he shared with the lads. They had all decided that this attic would be the send-off point.  
  
He faced Gabe and Alysa, turning away from Liam, Niall, Zayn, Louis, his mum, Gemma, Dana, Robin, Mike, Vanessa, and Colin reluctantly. Gabe and Alysa's families were also there, the nerves apparent on their faces. They had all insisted in watching them leave this world, and Harry understood that. He had been worried about being distracted, but Gabe and Alysa had already started the spell. As soon as Harry turned toward them, the rest of the room disappeared.   
  
They joined hands. Alysa looked excited. Gabe was smirking, as always.   
  
Then they began to chant.   
  
  
  
  


_ Larry Stylinson are Off the Market! _

_Who saw this coming? Just hours before Harry Styles' departure for his extended holiday, Louis and Harry were spotted in a very curious position. Onlookers will tell you that they were speaking in very hushed voices. No one could hear what they said. And then Louis planted a big kiss on Harry and shocked everyone, even a very stunned Harry. Even more surprising, Louis pulled out an engagement ring and slipped it on Harry's finger! Harry and Louis are engaged to each other, everybody!_

_We must admit though, this had to be a long time coming. Fans have been speculating about Harry and Louis for years. They have had a couple's name since the group's start. In fact, we put together a quick poll, and found that only one third of voters were surprised by Larry Stylinson's engagement._

_What does this mean, though? Niall is an out and proud bisexual as of the fall. Harry and Louis are together, and we do not know whether they are gay or bisexual. Our speculations lean toward bisexual. Are Liam and Zayn the only straight men in One Direction? Does it matter? Hell no it doesn't! Bisexual, taken, or not, they're still wonderful to look at. ~~And fantasize about.~~  _

_Congratulations, Louis and Harry! We couldn't be more happy for you!_


	7. Chapter 7

The spirit world was...   
  
It was gorgeous. And  _weird_.   
  
Harry stared in awe out at the scene before him. It... well, it looked a little bit like Earth. He realized that they weren't in an area saturated by spirits. There were some translucent plants that looked like nothing he'd seen on Earth. Some were jagged, some were multi-colored, and some were both. Harry looked down at what he assumed was the ground, and he was afraid that he would fall through if he took a step. Though, logically, he knew that if he hadn't fallen through the ground by now, he probably wouldn't.   
  
Then he looked up at Gabe and Alysa. They were see-through. And they were looking at each other as if they had just realized it. He held out his hand and gaped at it. He was see-through as well.   
  
They looked like ghosts.   
  
He supposed that made sense. If he didn't have human bodily functions right now it made sense that he didn't have a normal body. It was going to take some getting used to.   
  
"This is so fucking weird!" Gabe exclaimed, glancing every which way. For once, he was in awe and didn't look annoyingly smug. "Ghost world!"   
  
Normally, Harry would laugh at this kind of reaction, but he felt the same way.   
  
"Where are we?" Alysa finally asked, frowning. "I thought a ghost world would... have ghosts."   
  
Yeah, that was kind of weird, Harry had to admit. He expected to pop right into a crowd of spirits. He thought they would be surrounded by them from the start. "Well, remember guys, they can turn invisible. Maybe, uh..." He looked out as far as he could, and realized the colors came together even more in the distance. "You guys, I think we're on the edge of the spirit world, actually. We have to go... uh, there." He pointed outwards. He knew he wasn't being too specific but he didn't really know how to.   
  
But they seemed to get it. Alysa nodded determinedly and Gabe groaned. "Seriously? Can you transport us?"  
  
Harry had the same idea. He reached out and grabbed their hands. Or at least tried to. He couldn't quite grasp them. "I don't think I can. I can't actually touch you guys. So I guess we better start walking."   
  
Alysa sighed. "I was afraid of that."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
It had already been two weeks. Two weeks without Harry and Louis was surprised that he'd survived this long. It made him wonder if he and Harry were this co-dependent back when they were just friends. He lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. His arms were crossed, and he knew he was frowning. It just felt  _weird_  without Harry here. He reached over and touched Harry's side of the bed. He was tempted to smell Harry's pillow. They hardly ever changed their sheets (which probably was disgusting, but they  _were_  the messiest in the band) so Harry's scent would still be there for sure.   
  
He thought about what the past few weeks had actually been like. Harry had left the day they came out to the public, so he didn't have to bear the public reaction, which had been pretty positive. Louis had given an interview, which Zayn had tagged along for, about it. He explained whatever he could, omitting the sex and magic details, of course, even if there were some fans who liked to imagine what their sex lives were like. Niall had shown him some of the most recent fanfiction he'd stumbled across, and Louis had actually spent a few hours reading a story about him and Harry having kids and stuff. What he didn't admit to Niall was that what he wanted to happen so badly.   
  
And since Harry had left, Louis had to resort to old faithful, his right hand. Not that he hadn't gotten himself off when Harry was here. He  _had_. He and Harry liked to watch each other get off sometimes, though usually it took everything in him not to reach over and touch him. The face Harry made when he was concentrating on getting off was simply...  _amazing_. Louis closed his eyes, imagining Harry stroking himself, biting his lip, whining. Louis imagined himself licking Harry's chest, running his tongue over Harry's right nipple.  
  
That did the trick. He felt that familiar rush in his groin and slipped his hand under the covers.   
  
  
  
The next afternoon, Louis stood in the kitchen with the refrigerator door open, trying to decide what to eat for a late lunch. He'd had an interview and meeting with their manager earlier. He was planning to do an acoustic live show by himself, which he was really nervous about. He'd gotten so much better about that and shuttered, remembering how low his confidence had been on the X Factor. When he had been put into a band, he had looked around and realized that he was in a band with  _Liam Payne_ , who was already friends with JLS and had made it to Simon's house in 2008, and  _Harry Styles_ , who could charm the pants off of anybody, guy or girl, young or old. Not that he blamed them, but he  _had_  been kind of intimidated.   
  
But it was safe to say he'd improved. He smiled. He'd found his own singing style, and he was actually pretty excited about this upcoming gig.   
  
He began to reach toward some of the sliced meat, amazed that Niall hadn't eaten it all, when the doorbell rang. He sighed and closed the fridge door. The sandwich would have to wait.   
  
As he made his way to the front door, the doorbell rang again.  _Somebody_  was impatient.   
  
"Alright already!" Louis yelled. He was the only one downstairs so answering the door defaulted to him. Liam was out, and Niall and Zayn were upstairs. They were probably hanging out, because they'd oddly been doing that for the past few weeks. Louis knew better than to assume the two were having a torrid affair (especially when Zayn was involved) but he did like teasing them about it a little. They would come downstairs in the evening and Louis would ask how their afternoon shag was. Zayn would usually tackle him, but Niall just laughed. They let him get away with it because they knew how much he missed Harry.   
  
He opened the door and stood frozen at the figure before him.   
  
It was Isabel. And she hadn't changed at all from the moment they had met. And Louis remembered that moment well.  _He_  had approached her as a mission for PAUSE, later on trying to tag her.   
  
And she... she had tried to  _kill_  him.   
  
"What the hell are you doing here?"   
  
Isabel gave him a little wave as she smirked, putting on that dangerous face Louis knew so well. "Nice to see you too, sweetie."   
  
"Don't you dare call me that." Louis replied. "Again, what are you doing here?" Truthfully, he wasn't just asking for himself. She'd left and had barely paid attention to Zayn since she had. The guy had been all broken up about it, though he liked to pretend that he wasn't, claiming that maintaining a relationship was too hard and that he didn't much care. Louis had known Zayn was lying. He was upset and all Isabel caused was  _pain_.   
  
"Oh, hey Isabel, come on in."   
  
Louis whirled around to find Niall standing behind him, actually  _smiling_  at Isabel. He quickly turned back to the vampire and tried to protest, "No, don't come in-"   
  
Isabel stepped inside, grinning viciously. "Too late. I'm already in."   
  
"Niall, what were you thinking-" Louis began, glaring at his younger friend.   
  
"God, I'm not going to eat you." Isabel groaned. "I've already fed today and, yeah, I could always go for more blood but do you think I want to be in your angsty brain twenty-four seven? I bet it's just all  _wah wah wah, I miss Harry, come baaaaack_. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials by the way." She finished. Louis stared at her, a bit stunned but mostly annoyed. Then she turned to Niall. "So, leprechaun, you and Zayn called me because Liam went and got himself turned?"   
  
Niall nodded. "Yeah. And the vampire who turned him is basically forcing Liam to be in a relationship with him. He keeps saying that if Liam doesn't do what he says, he'll make Liam kill himself. Can... can makers actually do that?"   
  
Isabel didn't even hesitate. She walked right into the living room and sat herself down on the couch comfortably as if she'd been there for hours. "Yeah. They can."   
  
"Louis," Niall turned to him with a hopeful smile. "Mind go getting Zayn?"   
  
"And leave you here with-"   
  
"Will you  _relax_?" Isabel interrupted, shaking her head. "I'm not interested in eating the leprechaun either. Liam's already called dibs on him, I can sense that. Though to someone like Cody, that might not matter so much. So watch yourselves."   
  
Louis hesitated, but turned and ran up the stairs to get Zayn. Zayn was already on the way out of his bedroom door before Louis could reach him. "Your vampire ex-girlfriend is here."   
  
"I know." Zayn said simply, walking past him to the stairs.   
  
Louis followed him. "And you're okay with that?"   
  
"Okay enough to help Liam." Zayn replied as he started down the stairs with Louis trailing behind. He approached the living room and said in a strange voice, "Hey, Isabel."   
  
Isabel smiled and stood up. "Hey yourself." They didn't hug, but they regarded each other with a sort of familiarity. It was then that Louis realized that Isabel hadn't just simply left Zayn without a word. Because Zayn would be acting more awkward about this if they hadn't kept in touch. But Louis had always assumed they had lost contact because Zayn didn't often talk about his personal life. He was either  _too cool_  to do so or thought that he would jinx it or something. Either way, Zayn and Isabel's reactions to each other surprised him. "So Niall was filling me in on the Liam thing. And basically Liam is screwed."   
  
Niall frowned. "Shit. We can't fix him?"   
  
"You can't 'fix' vampire rules." Isabel told him. "The only way Liam can have any freedom is if Cody lets him go or dies, though Liam won't be too happy if Cody dies."   
  
"If you don't mind my asking," Louis began and Isabel met his eyes as if to say  _I do mind_  but he continued anyway, "What about you and your maker? I know you were turned against your will, but you've never talked about your maker. At least not... with us." He cast a glance at Zayn. Did he know anything about Isabel's maker.   
  
Isabel waved her hand. "He let me go. But it sucked being bound, let me tell you."   
  
"How can we get Cody to let him go?" Niall inquired, obviously puzzled.   
  
Isabel scratched the sofa cushion with one of her long fingernails. Louis crossed his arms uncomfortably as they all waited for Isabel to reply. Finally she shrugged. "A vampire like Cody? You can't. Unless Liam outright asks him what he can do to make Cody release him. But it would probably be something like killing you guys, or letting him turn you. By the way, does he know about Harry?"   
  
"That he's a witch? No." Louis said. "Liam promised that he wouldn't say anything and we all believe him. And Harry hasn't spent much time around Cody because we know he might be able to sense something weird about Harry."   
  
"Which means he doesn't know about the ghost thing either. Good." Isabel nodded approvingly. "That's probably your only hope."   
  
"What do you mean?" Zayn asked. Now  _he_  looked confused. Louis felt the exact same way.   
  
"I'm not sure myself." Isabel said. "But I think your best way to help him is to deal with the afterlife. After all, Liam  _is_  experiencing his afterlife, is he not? That book supposedly has ghosts, poltergeists, and everything in it. Do you know if it says anything about vampires?"   
  
"Harry would have said if it did." Louis insisted. And he truly believed that as well. It wasn't like he wanted Liam to be a vampire either. "And I'm sure he's looked."   
  
"But the wording in that book might be different. It might not say  _vampire_." Isabel said. "There are a  _lot_  of names for our kind. Did he take the book with him when he left?"   
  
Louis shook his head. "No. It needs to be in the attic for when they all come back. They have to draw power from it. I don't actually get it, but... Isabel, we can't read the book. It's in Astairnian."   
  
"Right." Isabel said. She smirked. "But other witches can read it, can't they? Get out your phone and call Harry's sister. Or Vanessa. Either one or both. Because even if they can't perform the spells, they  _can_  read the book. So call them. And we'll see where to go from there. In the meantime, where  _is_  Liam? I feel like I should have a talk with him, predator to predator."   
  
"Liam isn't a predator." Niall protested weakly, though it was weak because Liam obviously did have some predatory characteristics now. He  _had_  killed that homeless woman, though it was only because Cody had told him to do it. He sometimes had to go out 'hunting' with Cody, though he always made sure not to do anything too intense or hurt people. But he still couldn't stop his maker.   
  
Zayn spoke before Isabel could respond to Niall, thankfully. "He's out doing X Factor stuff. And then..." He glanced at Niall quickly and then back at Isabel. "he's probably seeing Cody."   
  
Niall grimaced and Isabel raised her eyebrows. She had to be wondering what was going on with Niall and Liam, as she had found out about them five years ago. Niall had even drunkenly admitted to Louis that he and Liam had gotten it on in Isabel's flat, much to Isabel's annoyance.   
  
"Are you doing this because you want your boyfriend back?" Isabel asked Niall. To Louis' surprise, she didn't say it accusingly.   
  
Niall tried to smile. "It's not the only reason but that's part of it, yeah. It's also  _for him_. Even if I don't get anything out of it."   
  
"Look at you, being all altruistic," Louis walked up to Niall and put an arm around his shoulders. "Our Niall is growing up."   
  
"I'm twenty-three." Niall replied, confused. And at that, Louis couldn't help himself. He laughed, suddenly feeling less tense about the fact that Isabel was there. Maybe it was because she laughed, too. A real laugh, not a mean or sarcastic one. Niall still didn't get it. "I  _am_  grown up."   
  
  
  
Louis hadn't even been  _involved_  in this plan. At all. But somehow, he'd been elected to be the one to contact Gemma about reading the magic book. He sat alone in the living room, his finger hovering over the send button on his phone. Gemma was worried enough about Harry without them getting her involved in this stuff. Plus she was busy with her writing and fairy girlfriend. Who was to say she'd actually help out? It wasn't like it was  _Harry_  who was the vampire.   
  
He pressed the send button and held the phone up to his ear. Three rings later, he heard his future sister-in-law's voice on the other end. "Hey Louis."   
  
"Hi Gemma... Uh... how are you?"   
  
She chuckled a bit. "I'm good. Why do you sound like you're going to ask me for something. You are, aren't you?"   
  
"Just hear me out!" he exclaimed, as if she'd already said no. He couldn't help it; it was a nervous habit. "Uh, so you know how Liam is a vampire. Niall and Zayn decided to call Isabel to see if she had any suggestions for helping him since he's in Cody's grasp, which is creepy and gross, and Isabel suggested that there might be something in Harry's ghost spell book. Like, something to get him away from Cody. And it's possible, since spirit magic deals with life and death. And none of us can read Astairnian..."   
  
"So you want  _me_  to read the book and figure out if there's something Harry can do that he might have overlooked?" Gemma guessed.  
  
"Yeah." Louis said with a sigh. "Let me just be clear about this, none of this was my idea. I just kind of got reeled in. But I  _am_  all for helping Liam out. Cody is a slimeball. So, yeah, what do you say?"   
  
Gemma was silent for a moment before saying, "Sure. Can Dana come, as well? She might have some suggestions."   
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea? She kind of... doesn't like vampires." Had a total aversion to them, actually, but he was trying to be nice about it. Especially because he understood how Dana felt. He'd feel the same way if it weren't for Liam. "And the spirit magic freaks her out because of all the stuff about death."   
  
"She can handle herself fine." Gemma replied without missing a beat. "And it's not like she isn't protected from Isabel. I could freeze Isabel and stake her in a second if she even thinks about it."   
  
"Well, in that case..." He proceeded to give Gemma a time and location.  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
After dealing with Cody for a few hours, Liam really needed a drink. He passed Louis in the living room, who seemed to be finishing up a phone call, and headed right for the basement.   
  
He opened up the fridge in the basement and grabbed one of the blood bags. Before he left, Harry had restocked the fridge for him. He opened up the blood bag and began to drink with relief. He sighed, immediately feeling the stress leave him.   
  
Luckily, Cody hadn't wanted to really  _do anything_  today, but he was the most self-obsessed, self-involved, narcissistic person Liam knew. And that was really saying a lot considering he knew _a lot_  of celebrities. But with Cody, it was always who he wanted to drink from, who he wanted to kill, what  _he_  thought of the stories in the news. He never asked Liam what he thought.   
  
Sitting through that garbage made Liam ache for Niall. Not even sexually, but just his  _company_. From the start, Niall had been able to make him smile. When Niall laughed at something, so did Liam. And surprisingly, Niall knew when Liam wanted peace and quiet, as loud as he could be. Niall had always been caring and considerate of him. He'd been so  _stupid_.   
  
"Blood bags? Really?"   
  
Liam looked up. He didn't actually expect to see Isabel, but he had to admit he wasn't surprised. He had a feeling she would find out and come here eventually. He wiped his mouth with his arm and tried to smile. She seemed a lot less threatening than when he was a human. "Hi there."  
  
She sauntered into the basement, sitting down on the couch. Right where he and Niall had last... he closed his eyes and tried to clear his head. It wasn't his fault that his feelings were much more intense now. Isabel ignored the greeting and smirked up at him again. "Like I said... blood bags?"   
  
"I really don't want to drink from people. Or animals." Liam told her. "I can't just... I don't know, go find a puppy and drink from it." He shuddered. "And humans are even worse. I've drank from humans before. I feel bad every time. So blood bags for me."   
  
"And you don't feel bad about stealing donated blood that probably would go to people in need?" she retorted, raising her eyebrows. "Does Harry steal them for you?"   
  
Liam nodded. He had a feeling it wouldn't be smart to lie to her about it. "Not saying I don't feel bad. Just not...  _as_  bad. So... what brings you here?"   
  
Isabel didn't look like she had been traveling, but he knew she had. It was just that she always looked so well put together and fit. Being a vampire helped with that. He'd also noticed it for himself. He didn't really have to worry about his looks, or whether he'd get hat hair, or anything like that.  
  
"Your boyfriend called me."   
  
"He's not-" Liam began. But Isabel cut him off immediately.   
  
"Save it. From what I can tell, you have been an absolute moron. Before you were turned, you messed with Niall's head. You have any idea how much that's messed him up? Like, if I were to drink from him, not saying I will because you have a claim to him... Well, let's just say it wouldn't be as pleasant an experience as it's supposed to be. Why are you such an idiot?"   
  
Liam stared at her, hard. He couldn't believe she was actually starting something with him. "I'm not an idiot. I was doing it for the band."   
  
"You don't mess around with someone and then tell them it's over, and then repeat the process. I'm a vampire and I like to drink from people's necks, but even I know that. Jesus."   
  
That was it. Liam used his vampire speed and suddenly had her pinned to the couch. She glared up at him, her eyes starting to glow red. He knew his probably already were. Then all the sudden, she pushed him backwards and had him pinned against the fridge, which was uncomfortable because it was short and he was pretty tall. It really only reached a point on his legs. So he pushed back, moving her up against the wall. He could feel his fangs emerging, embarrassing as it was.   
  
"Don't judge me!" He told her. "You haven't exactly been a role model. You constantly brag about all the people you kill. Bet you killed even more in the years you were gone."   
  
She opened her mouth, revealing her fangs as well. He noticed hers were a bit sharper than his. Did she sharpen them or something? That was weird. Oh crap, he was getting distracted again. He fixed his glare onto her eyes again. "I'm trying to get you to stop making mistakes so you can keep your humanity, idiot. It's not all about killing. It's also about how you treat your friends. Sometimes I wish I still had mine, and I wouldn't wish this shit on anyone." Liam blinked in surprise as Isabel continued. "But if you ever tell anyone I said that, I  _will_  hunt you down."   
  
Liam nodded, stepping back from her. He blinked as the red-feeling in his eyes went away, and his fangs disappeared for the time being. "I'm trying to stop making mistakes. Believe me."   
  
"You're bound to your maker. Apparently he's forcing himself on you?"  
  
Again, Liam nodded. He didn't really like talking about Cody. The lads had basically forced the information out of him. "Yeah. He is."   
  
"Okay." Isabel now looked calmer as well. Her eyes and mouth were back to normal. "First thing's first, are you sure that it's 100% nonconsensual? Like, you say no, he does it anyway?"   
  
Liam bit his lip. No... it wasn't  _totally_  nonconsensual. It had started out that way, but it was more that he had given in to it and he let Cody do what he wanted. Liam no longer protested. "It's complicated."   
  
"So it's consensual?."   
  
"But I still don't want it." Liam protested. "I just want to get together with Niall and get rid of Cody and just... I don't know. But he won't free me. I'm stuck."   
  
"So you hook up with him. Because he's there and he'll make you anyway." Isabel concluded. She frowned. "You know how shitty that is, right? And don't give me that moral lecture again.  _I know_. But I was sort of bitchy before I was turned. You... you're not a bad person."   
  
Liam stared at her. "What  _happened_  to you? You're different. It's not just because I was turned. You're not as mean."   
  
Isabel held her hand out and Liam knew immediately. He handed her the blood bag and she walked over to the couch, sitting down. He sat down next to her. She took a big gulp and then handed it back to him. "I'm going to tell you something, but you can't say anything to anyone. There's only one other person who knows."   
  
At that, Liam raised his eyebrows at her. Was he having a heart-to-heart with  _Isabel_? "I won't say anything."   
  
"Good. I'll kill you if you do. Anyway..." She looked away. "Before I left, Zayn wanted me to turn him."   
  
" _What_?" Liam asked, widening his eyes. Zayn had actually wanted to be a vampire? No way. "Zayn wouldn't want that-"   
  
Now it was her turn to look at him critically again. "Please. It's Zayn. Eternal youth and beauty, and he'd be with me."   
  
Liam nodded. She had a point. That did sound like Zayn when she put it that way. "He wanted to be vampire? He never said anything to any of us." At least, he was pretty sure Zayn hadn't said anything to anyone. Though maybe he had gone to Louis about it, since they liked to have their talks sometimes. But he was doubtful, since Louis would have been staunchly against it. Zayn could have gone to Niall and Harry... But Harry would have told Louis and Niall would have blabbed by now.   
  
"Of course he didn't." Isabel rolled his eyes. "It hurt his pride when I said no. He didn't want to be turned by anyone else. He  _wanted_  to be bound to me. But honestly? Becoming a vampire turns most people into shitheads. I didn't want that to happen to Zayn."   
  
"Uh, are you aware that you tried to turn a bunch of people into vampires to fight against PAUSE?" Liam couldn't help reminding her.   
  
"Completely aware." Isabel shrugged. "But I..." She frowned and glanced at the blood bag. Her eyes flashed red, and this time it wasn't out of anger. The look on her face was so unfamiliar. It was  _embarrassment_."   
  
Liam tried not to gasp. "You care about Zayn!" He exclaimed. It was surprising, considering Isabel's attitude about everything else in the world. But Liam could tell. For her, Zayn wasn't just a blood donor or a shag. She really did care about him more than she knew she should. And feeling even the tiniest bit of humanity after hunting and killing went against her vampiric nature. It probably messed with her head. The easier thing would have been to turn Zayn. No wonder she'd left.   
  
She glared at him. "Remember. Say nothing. I'm telling you this because I'm trying to be-"   
  
"Nicer?"   
  
" _Tolerant_  of the rest of you." Isabel replied. Liam knew what she really meant was "nicer."   
  
"Alright. Tolerant then. So you're here to give me a lecture about Niall?" He tilted his head in disbelief. There was no way she'd come to London just for  _that_.   
  
She stood. "Among other things. Your presence is requested in the attic."   
  
"By who?" Liam stood up as well. He quickly threw the blood bag into the fridge and then followed Isabel to the door.   
  
"By Zayn, Louis, a leprechaun, a witch, and a fairy."   
  
  
  
"You know, he's not a  _real_  leprechaun."   
  
Niall looked up as Liam walked into the attic after Isabel. Liam was looking at her  _so seriously_ , but then glanced up when he saw everyone looking at him. Niall's eyes met Liam's, and even though Liam had been an idiot lately, Niall couldn't help smiling. Liam grinned back tightly, clearly feeling awkward and probably guilty.   
  
"Take that up with his parents, not me." Isabel said lightly as she walked over to Zayn and took her place next to him. They both leaned against the wall, like they were both too cool to be here. They were quite the pair, in Niall's opinion.   
  
"What are you all here for?" Liam asked, looking around the room, his eyes meeting Gemma's and then Dana's. "Is this an intervention or something?"   
  
"No." Niall said, stepping forward. "It's not." He picked up Harry's spell book and handed it to Gemma.   
  
"While my brother is off saving the world," Gemma said, "We're going to save  _you_ , Liam." Next to her, Dana nodded, even though she kept sneaking suspicious glances at Isabel. Isabel was gracious about it, though. She pretended not to notice, which was surprising. A few years ago, she would have asked Dana what the hell she was looking at.   
  
"You can't even do those spells." Liam said in disbelief.   
  
"No," Gemma agreed. "But we can look through the spell book and try to find something that might work for when Harry comes back. Harry said he looked through the book, but it's possible he overlooked something."   
  
"And vamps have a lot of names." Louis added. "Creatures of the night, creatures of death, the undead, dark ones, blood drinkers, blood drainers, fanged ones-"   
  
"I get it." Liam said, cutting him off, still looking suspicious of the whole plan.   
  
Dana looked up at Isabel. "Do you know any other words that might be used to describe your kind? Should we just look for the words Louis listed?"   
  
Before Isabel could speak, Zayn did. "We?"   
  
Gemma smiled, taking Dana's hand. "I've been teaching Dana Astairnian. It's surprisingly easy to teach it to fae. I think people born with magic can learn it, though it is originally my kind's language." She cast a proud glance in Dana's direction. Dana looked just as smitten, and Niall couldn't help smiling at the two girls. Part of him thought the idea of them was just hot (despite Harry's constant protests), but mostly they were just really sweet with each other.   
  
Zayn and Isabel, however, exchanged a look that clearly said,  _everyone we know is gay._  Niall pretended he didn't see, even though they were kind of right.   
  
Gemma and Dana sat on the floor with the spell book open in front of them. They flipped through the pages, scanning the titles carefully. Niall knew that most of them had to do with ghosts and other spirits, so he wasn't surprised whenever Gemma frowned and turned the page. He remembered Harry complaining about there not being vampire spells in the book, so he didn't have much hope for this plan.   
  
Then Dana's eyes lingered on a page and she grinned. "The dark red ones. Gemma, look." She pointed to the middle of one of the page, and Gemma read carefully. While they both looked at the page, Niall's eyes met Liam's. Dark red. The color of blood. It made sense.   
  
"The dark red ones have sharp teeth and an aversion to the sun. Sounds about right. But it's just a page of protection spells  _against_  vampires and other deadly supernaturals, like sirens." Gemma said pessimistically.   
  
"Still!" Dana said excitedly. "They're in here. It means the spirit world is aware of them and that spirit magic does have some sort of control over them. Who's to say that the spirit world can't improvise? I wish we could get to Harry and ask him to say something while he's there."   
  
"If I know Harry, even if he didn't see this page, he'll ask." Louis said. Zayn, Liam, and Gemma nodded, and Niall grinned. Maybe there  _was_  hope for Liam. They just had to be patient.   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
They had been walking for a few hours, and when it had seemed like they would never get to the part where all the spirits were, the colors ahead of them intensified. Harry actually had to stop for a moment when it happened, because it took him by surprise. They  _would_  get there. And then they would find these rebellious spirits and try to talk some sense into them. And if they couldn't do that, they'd have to exorcise them.   
  
But Harry  _really_  didn't want to do that. He knew how. He'd done it with a poltergeist, but this was different. They were marching into these spirits' homes and threatening to destroy them. But then again, the dark spirits were planning to do the same thing.   
  
So they kept walking and Harry tried to clear his head. He needed to be completely aware of his surroundings and he needed a plan. He opened his mouth to tell the others that when Gabe interrupted.   
  
"So... you're gay?"   
  
Harry glanced at Gabe, a little bit stunned. He was actually surprised that the guy had waited so long to ask about what had happened. He and Alysa had been respectfully quiet about it up until now. He expected that from Alysa, but not from Gabe.   
  
He gripped the strap of his backpack tightly. He could touch things he was carrying but he couldn't touch Gabe or Alysa's backpacks. "No."   
  
"But you and Louis. You're a thing?" Gabe pressed, now walking right by Harry's side. Harry nodded. "Then how are you  _not_  gay? And why the hell did you lie about Vanessa?"   
  
"Gabe." Alysa said in a hushed voice. "It's none of our business."   
  
"It's alright." Harry said. He kept his eyes forward so that he couldn't see their reactions. "I didn't really  _lie_  about Vanessa. I just let people believe we were together. No one would have believed me if I kept saying I didn't have a girlfriend, right? So I technically got one. And she agreed to it."   
  
"She agreed to beard for you?" Harry knew that tone was Gabe's eyerolling one.   
  
Harry shrugged. "Yeah. She didn't really care, and she knew about the whole Louis thing. But she met Colin and we had to stop with the whole charade. We would have anyway. I can imagine all the crap she's getting back home, not that we ever actually said we were together."   
  
"Did you know Louis was going to propose?" This time it was Alysa who asked.   
  
He tried to hide his smile, but it was near impossible. He wondered how Louis was handling all the press that he was sure to encounter. He didn't want Louis to have to do all those interviews alone. "No, I didn't know. We hadn't even planned to tell people yet. I mean, our families, management, and label and close friends know, of course, but the fans and even people who aren't. But no... that proposal was a surprise."  
  
"It was really cute." Alysa offered. "But I think a lot of us knew what was going on with you guys. Even people who don't know you."   
  
Harry had to admit they hadn't been too good at hiding, though they had never kissed in public before Louis' proposal. People had been speculating for ages, even when Harry had been pretending to go out with Vanessa. People had been speculating since before he and Louis were even together. That probably should have freaked him out a little, that the public could see it before he could, but it also made him smile. It meant they had a lot of support. Fans were really nice when Niall came out, and he and Louis had actually gotten  _applause_.   
  
He sighed, wondering how long it had been in the human world. No doubt he'd been gone longer than a few hours, though it had only been a few hours here.   
  
"Harry."   
  
He looked up at Alysa, realizing just how distracted he'd been, thinking about Louis and their relationship. He smiled at her.   
  
"We're going to save everyone and then you can get back to Louis. But invite me to your wedding, okay?" She smirked at Gabe. "You can be my date."   
  
Gabe rolled his eyes, but Harry could tell he was hiding a smile. "Yeah, whatever."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
A few nights later, Liam walked into the kitchen absently. Though food repulsed him now, it was still a habit. And of course he found Niall standing in there eating a bag of crisps. Niall finished chewing and swallowed before saying, "Hey."  
  
"Hi. Where are the others?" Liam wondered.   
  
"I think Isabel and Zayn are out. My guess is some hotel or club." Niall said. "Louis is off rehearsing for his gig."   
  
"Oh, that's right." Liam said. Louis had been busy rehearsing and planning the small gig for the past week. Impressively, the tickets to the gig had sold out as fast as tickets to One Direction tours had, and he knew that had made Louis happy. He knew that Louis was still worried that people didn't like his voice, but this was proof that plenty did, and those were the ones who mattered. Liam was also glad that Louis was distracting himself in Harry's absence. The poor guy could have been moping around, but he had put himself to work instead. "He better have gotten us tickets."   
  
"Yeah, he did." Niall said, now looking straight into Liam's eyes. Liam gnawed on his own bottom lip a bit, trying to control himself. But he was alone with Niall and... and he wanted to stop being an idiot. Because Isabel had been right, as much as he hated to admit it.   
  
"Do you think that spirit magic can save me?" Liam asked him suddenly. He couldn't help it; he'd been wondering it ever since that evening in the attic.   
  
Niall nodded. "It better. I don't want this for you."   
  
Liam sucked in his breath, feeling an ache form deep in his stomach. He gazed at Niall's mouth, and then back up into his eyes. They'd gone so long without kissing or touching and it was ridiculous. It was  _miserable_.   
  
He took a step forward, unable to stop himself. But when he realized what as at risk, he knew he couldn't do it. Cody would smell Niall on him. He could smell humans from a mile away.   
  
But Niall didn't back away. He kept his gaze on Liam's, and stepped forward as well. Liam couldn't bring himself to move away, but he was pretty sure that Niall felt what he was feeling as well. So when Niall reached up, wrapped his arms around Liam's neck, and pulled his head down, Liam kissed him hard.   
  
Liam walked Niall backward until he was against the counter-top. He gripped Niall's shoulders tightly and continued to kiss him with ferocity. Soon they were hard against each other, and Niall unwrapped his arms around Liam's neck, instead putting his hands to use so that he could unbutton and unzip Liam's trousers. When Liam's trousers fell to the floor, he moaned, feeling the closer contact with Niall now and Niall brushed up against his crotch. So he did the only thing he could think to do in that moment.   
  
He followed suit.


	8. Chapter 8

Liam opened his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping, of course, but he had been dozing a bit. Niall was next to him in bed, smiling contentedly as he slept. He looked more peaceful than he had the past few months. Not that Liam had come into Niall's room and watched him sleep - that would be creepy - but whenever Niall fell asleep on the couch or dozed off at the kitchen table, Liam observed him, ignoring the knot in his stomach.   
  
He reached over, smoothing Niall's hair. He ached to wake Niall up so that they could go again, as if they hadn't done enough last night, but he knew that he shouldn't.   
  
It was dangerous that they had done this.   
  
Liam sat up, guilt overshadowing how happy he was with Niall. Not guilt for betraying Cody. After all, he was sort of forcing Liam into a relationship and Liam couldn't stand him. He was afraid for Niall. He had let his desires take over rather than his common sense, and this was one of those rare times that his common sense would have been right. He wouldn't be rejecting Niall out of embarrassment. He would have done it to  _save his life_. It was a fine time to not listen to what his head told him.   
  
For the millionth time, Liam thought about how easy it would have been if he hadn't given in to liking guys altogether. It had always been more simple when he buried that part of him, just embracing the part that liked girls. It had been easy, acceptable. And now it was all just a mess.   
  
Niall stirred then, and Liam watched as he opened his eyes. He was still smiling, and Liam couldn't help smiling back.   
  
"Hey." Niall said quietly. "Have you eaten yet?"   
  
Liam shook his head. He'd been rude to Niall enough the past few years. He didn't want to just abandon him in bed. Not to mention he didn't want to get caught doing a walk of shame, which he was pretty sure would happen if he left on his own. Not that leaving with Niall was much better; if Louis or Zayn caught them there would be teasing and knowing smiles to endure.   
  
Niall buried his face into the pillow for a moment and then looked back up at Liam. "Last night was incredible."   
  
Liam had to agree. It  _had_  been incredible. He and Niall had done it up against the kitchen counter (which Liam would wipe down as soon as he got downstairs), and then they had retreated to Niall's bedroom and done it again. Both times had been even more intense than their first time after Liam had been turned, and Niall had fallen asleep immediately afterward, resting his head on Liam's chest. "It really was."   
  
Then Niall rubbed his eyes. "Cody's gonna kill me, isn't he?"   
  
Liam didn't say anything. He really didn't have an answer for Niall. There was no telling what exactly Cody would do. He could kill Niall, sure. He could  _turn_  him. And there was the slightest possibility that Cody wouldn't do anything to Niall. But Liam doubted it.   
  
Instead of discussing it further, Niall looked into his eyes. "Hungry?"   
  
Liam smiled. "Yeah. Are you?" He considered it a pointless question because Niall was always hungry.   
  
Niall didn't answer. Instead, he extended his wrist so that it was in front of Liam's mouth. Liam stared at him, wide-eyed. Niall was offering  _his own blood_  to him? He knew that Isabel had noted that Liam had a claim to Niall, but that didn't mean that Liam had ever even thought that he would drink from Niall. He'd thought about it, sure. But he would have never pressured Niall to do it. Especially considering Liam was still getting a handle on his vampire abilities in the first place.   
  
"You sure?" Liam asked, taking Niall's wrist gently in his own hands. He could smell Niall's blood and it smelled  _delicious_. More delicious than any other blood he'd smelled. There  _was_ something different about it, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. For a moment he was worried that Isabel's leprechaun accusations were right, but he pushed the thought out of his head. The scent was so overpowering.   
  
Niall nodded. "Yeah. I want to. It's fine."   
  
Liam knew that Niall would  _never_  do this for someone he didn't know. All of the people he'd slept with in the past, ones he didn't care about this much, he wouldn't have have offered up his blood, even if they  _were_  vampires. But here Niall was, bravely looking him in the eyes, willing to do one of the most intimate things that could take place between a vampire and a human who felt the way they did about each other. He didn't have his eyes squeezed shut, expecting pain, which was what he would have expected from Niall.   
  
His fangs emerged from his mouth, and he saw Niall watching with fascination just before he looked down at the wrist he was about to bite. Slowly, he sank his fangs into Niall's flesh and then deeper. The blood began to flow and Liam began to drink. And... his blood  _was_  a little different. It was human, but there was a bit of something else there. Something he couldn't quite identify.   
  
He looked at Niall to find him looking like he was in absolute ecstasy. Liam shifted a little while he drank so he could kneel over Niall's legs, and by doing so he found out that Niall was hard. Really hard. He realized that he could control Niall's emotions like this, but he  _wasn't_. No, this was them. This was the default to how drinking from Niall would be.   
  
When he decided he'd had taken enough blood from Niall, he gently lifted his mouth away from Niall's skin, looking up into his eyes. Niall had bitten his lip a little, and Liam recognized that look in his eyes. And Liam couldn't resist.   
  
He kissed Niall hard, and Niall moaned into Liam's mouth. Liam adjusted himself so he could kneel over him. They were both naked already because they hadn't put on clothes last night. Niall licked the blood from Liam's lips, which was surprising. He made his fangs retreat so that he wouldn't bite Niall's tongue as he found it with his own.   
  
He lay over Niall, kissing his cheek. He thrust against Niall's crotch and Niall cried out, automatically spreading his legs and positioning himself better for Liam, making himself ready.   
  
Liam, however, had something else in mind. "You do it," he said quietly against Niall's cheek. "I want you in me."   
  
"Oh god," Niall said, breathing out. "Okay. Okay, I will."   
  
Liam lay back on the bed. Niall grabbed the lube from the drawer next to them and then dove down to Liam's lower region. He lubed up Liam's entrance and his own cock. He wet Liam's cock by taking it into his mouth. The feeling was so much different than when Liam had been a human. Not necessarily better, but it  _was_  a different kind of intensity. Niall began to finger him carefully, but Liam touched his hair and Niall looked up.   
  
"It's fine." Liam told him. "I'm okay."   
  
Niall nodded, crawling forward a bit. Liam leaned upward so Niall could enter him. When he did, he thrust his hips, a bit. And then they looked each other in the eyes.   
  
"I love you." Niall blurted out. His face was already flushed, but his color became a deeper shade of red as he said the words. Immediately he looked away.   
  
"Hey." Liam reached up and circled his arms around Niall's neck. Awkwardly, Niall turned back to look at him. When their eyes met, Liam knew what was right and what had been right all along. "I love you too."   
  
And in response, Niall kissed him.   
  
  
  
They lost track of time.   
  
When they were finally finished, they took separate showers. They did so because Liam wanted to get cleaned up in a hurry. He had plans to see Cody later, and he knew he would have to do whatever he could to hide this from him. In a way, he knew he couldn't, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.   
  
Liam stepped into the bathroom when Niall was showering. "I'm going out. I'll see you later, alright?"   
  
Niall peeked out from behind the shower curtain. "Sure."   
  
Liam stood awkwardly for a moment and then said, "I'm going to go talk to... well. You know." He didn't want to say Cody's name. Not after what they had just done. "I'm obligated.  _But_ , I'm going to try and reason with him. He hasn't been invited in here and the others know enough not to invite him in, so you'll be safe if you stay home. Just in case, I've texted everyone and told them not to invite in anybody, especially since Isabel doesn't know what he looks like."  
  
"If you're going to be with him, why would I have to worry about him coming after me?" Niall asked, confused.   
  
"Because his vampire speed is faster than mine. The moment he senses something, he could leave me and come after you. But the good thing is that I drank your blood, so I'm going to be able to sense if anything is wrong. But I'm going to try and get him to free me. I helped him with the X Factor, got him a record deal... I don't know why he even wants to keep me."   
  
But Liam knew full well that there were very clear reasons for this. Cody liked having someone to order around, a minion. And Liam also knew that trying to reason with Cody would be hopeless, but he needed to try.   
  
How could he get Cody to free him?   
  
How could he make Cody not want him anymore?   
  
  
  
He knocked on the door of the studio. Cody was busy recording, but had apparently just wrapped up and was on a break. He smiled nervously when Cody grinned at him, signaling for him to come inside. Liam tried to keep up the guise of innocence by smiling back and waving goofily. Instead, he was thinking about how creepy Cody's smile was and how he couldn't believe he'd gotten himself into this situation.   
  
As he stood across from Cody, Cody waved away the producers he was working with. The producers blinked and then turned away. Liam tried not to turn to Cody and glare at him. He'd _hypnotized_  the producers! God, he willing to go as far as he wanted to, wasn't he?   
  
As soon as they were gone, Cody kissed Liam on the mouth. It was a loud, wet kiss that made Liam feel gross.   
  
"Working on some music?" Liam asked lamely. Obviously Cody was working on music. But he was being cautious.   
  
Cody rolled his eyes. "Duh. Though these dumbasses I'm working with really need to shut up and let me run things. I'm thinking of draining them when I'm done with them. You can have one of them."   
  
Liam blinked. He studied Cody, trying to be subtle. If Cody could smell Niall on him, wouldn't he have done so already? Would he have commented? Because even though Liam had taken a shower, a vampire's sense of smell was  _strong_. Liam could even smell what the producers had eaten for breakfast, and that had been hours ago. "It's okay. I'm working on trying to get humans to drink on my own. You know, for practice." Since he was going to end up doing it for all of eternity.   
  
"Well, you can practice on people I choose for you." Cody pouted, not looking as cute as Niall did when he did it. "You never appreciate the gifts I get you."   
  
That was because all of Cody's "gifts" had to do with him hunting humans, but Liam bit his tongue. He was more preoccupied with staying safe. Cody didn't look the least bit suspicious of him. It was worrying.   
  
Liam smiled at him tightly. "Of course I appreciate them. And I appreciate  _you_."   
  
If he had had regular bodily functions anymore, he would have thrown up.   
  
"Sometimes I think you're too sweet to be a vampire." Cody grinned wickedly. "But I've seen what you can do. You can tear into a neck with the best of 'em." With that, he grabbed Liam by the shoulders and kissed him. Liam made a slight effort to kiss back, just so Cody didn't flip out on him. He was also grateful that having sex with him had taken all of the tension out of him so Cody couldn't sense he was tense or worried. But he  _was_  worried that Cody could taste Niall in his mouth.   
  
But when Cody pulled back, he didn't look angry. Instead, he pushed Liam up against the studio window, kissing him again hard. Immediately, Cody went to work unbuttoning Liam's trousers as his fangs grazed Liam's neck. Liam had to admit, he  _did_  like that, but he didn't want this. No.   
  
But he couldn't just  _tell_  Cody, his maker, that. So he went a different route.   
  
"Cody. Why do you like me anyway?" he asked, trying to sound curious and confused.   
  
At that, Cody pulled back. He looked just as confused. "What?"   
  
"Why do you like me? Why do you want me?" Liam asked. He was fully aware that he probably sounded too sappy for Cody's liking, but that was his plan.   
  
"Having an insecure moment?" Cody asked, raising an eyebrow. "We look good together. We match each other with our speed and ability. You're kind of dopey, but I like that. What do you want me to say?"   
  
Liam frowned slightly. "Dopey?"   
  
"It's the look on your face. Don't worry, Liam, I like you. I won't be letting you go any time soon."   
  
Inwardly, Liam groaned. Then he went for Plan B. ".... Have you ever thought about going public?"   
  
Now Cody looked kind of stunned. "Public? As if telling everyone about us?" "  
  
Liam shrugged, hoping this would scare Cody off. "Yeah. I mean... I guess... ever since Niall came out and Harry and Louis got engaged, I've been thinking about it. We've been together for awhile. I've been in the kind of relationship where I didn't tell everyone for a long time," he said, reminding Cody of his past relationship with Danielle, "and I wished I had been honest from the beginning."   
  
"Hm," Cody said, looking like he was actually considering it, which made Liam think that he'd just made a big mistake. He had been sure that Cody would flip out "I'll think about it. But for now..." He grabbed Liam's arse, a move that had stopped surprising Liam a few months ago. Then he pulled Liam closer. "Let's just forget about everything. I'm going to fuck you right here."   
  
Liam breathed deeply as he let Cody kiss him, hating his afterlife so much more than he had last night.   
  
  
  
Louis was finishing up with rehearsal. He had been slightly worried that he wouldn't be able to pull it off, but he found that it was easy to sing the love songs. He would just let himself go into that headspace of missing Harry, which was how he felt all the time anyway, and the emotion would just pour out. Everyone watching must have noticed. He felt some eyes on him as different people moved around, setting up and cleaning. He wondered what they were thinking. If  _they_  were thinking about how he must be thinking of Harry.   
  
He had to admit he was a little paranoid about it. He was getting used to people coming up to him, talking to him about Harry, asking about their relationship. He just hadn't realized it would be so full-on. He thought that giving some interviews would settle things, but people were always asking questions and coming up to him and congratulating him for  _finally coming out_. What, had they been waiting for him to come out since One Direction began?   
  
Not that he blamed them, he supposed. He  _was_  always touchy-feely with guys. Had always been, even back when he'd been with Hannah. He knew he could be a little flamboyant at times, but that didn't necessarily mean he was  _gay_.   
  
But he knew he shouldn't care about what other people thought. The main thing was that he was engaged to Harry now. Everyone knew, and it was  _him_  who had outed them in a big way.   
  
And the idea of actually marrying Harry made him smile. He wanted to take Harry on the best honeymoon possible. He wanted to have a house with Harry and adopt little kids and...   
  
He frowned.  _God_ , he missed Harry.  
  
He was in the process of gathering up some sheet music when he heard a familiar voice.   
  
"Hey Tomlinson." He looked up and smiled. Ed Sheeran stood before him, his arms crossed. "And you didn't tell me you and Harry were together, because...?"   
  
Louis ignored the question momentarily so he could hug his friend. Ed hugged him back quickly, but then asked the question again.   
  
Louis had to admit that he had thought of it. Ed was a good friend of Harry's, and a friend of his as well. But the main circle of people who had known were so heavily involved in supernatural stuff. That was the core group. There were very few people outside of that group who knew. But he did feel bad. "I should have, mate."   
  
They sat down in some of the audience chairs, relaxing. Louis had to go home soon and see how Liam and Niall were getting along. Not to mention Isabel and Zayn. But right now, Louis had some explaining to do. "We weren't really thinking. There weren't a lot of people who knew. And believe me, Harry wanted to tell you. I was kind of... I don't know, freaked out about it. Proposing to him in public was a way of getting over my fear."   
  
"Am I invited to the wedding at least?" Ed asked, no longer irritated, thank goodness.   
  
Louis gave him an  _are you kidding_  look. "Obviously."   
  
"When is it?"   
  
At that, Louis shrugged. "Probably a few months after Harry gets back."   
  
"When's Harry getting back? Where is he anyway?"   
  
Louis immediately knew that he should have gone a different route in this discussion. He should have given Ed an estimate and later told him if it changed. Because now Ed wanted an explanation about Harry, and Louis couldn't give him one. Unless he lied. Which he was about to. "He's in the rainforest."   
  
Ed squinted at him like he didn't believe him. And with good reason as well. "Really now."   
  
Louis nodded. "Yeah. He's living in a hut and everything. And has no technology. It sucks, but what can you do?" He shrugged.  
  
"And why is he in the rainforest?" Ed asked, humoring him. It was pretty obvious Louis was lying, but Ed was being a good friend.   
  
"He's trying to save it. The sloths need a home too." He was talking out of his ass now, but for some reason it made Ed laugh, and Louis was relieved about that. He and Harry should have come up with a better plan. So Louis immediately changed the subject. "Hey, if you're not busy tomorrow night, want to join in for a few songs on my set? We can do 'Moments.' It would be awesome."   
  
"Hmm," Ed said, pretending to think about it. "Sure, why not? I have a few days off. Give me the details and I'll be here."   
  
Louis did just that.   
  
  
  
Later that evening, Liam walked through the front door to find Niall and Isabel playing a Wii game in the living room. It was the newest version of bowling, and Isabel had just gotten a spare. She didn't cheer or gloat; she just smirked a bit in Niall's direction.   
  
"Hey." Liam said as he entered the living room, sitting down on the couch.   
  
Niall turned to him immediately, foregoing the game for now. He kissed Liam on the cheek and then smiled. "How did it go with Cody? We're still alive, so that's a good sign. Tried texting you all day."   
  
"He's so annoying." Liam complained. "I tried to get him to let me go. I can't just ask him, so I tried scaring him into letting me go. I tried talking about  _feelings_  and going public, two things I thought would freak him out to the point of dumping me."   
  
"Yeesh," Isabel commented as she turned off the game. "That would scare any sensible vampire away."   
  
"Well, not Cody." Liam replied, rubbing his forehead with his hand. He didn't get headaches anymore, but for some reason he felt like if he were human he would have one right now. "He's possessive. I think I dug myself in deeper than I meant to. And... another thing...." He looked up at Niall. "He didn't smell me on you."  
  
Isabel didn't react, but Niall frowned out of confusion. "How is that possible?"   
  
Liam turned to Isabel. "Can you smell him on me?"   
  
She shook her head. "No. But I have my suspicions about that." She paused, and Liam and Niall looked at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes. "You know my accusations about him being a leprechaun?"   
  
Niall crossed his arms, glaring at Isabel a bit. "I am  _not_  a leprechaun. Not a real one."   
  
"Yeah, I think we'd know by now if he was." Liam added.   
  
"Let me finish, boys." Isabel said, holding up her hand. "I don't think Niall  _is_  a leprechaun. Or at least, not a full one. But it's entirely possible that he has some sort of fae heritage. I smell  _that_ on him. Don't you?" She asked, looking Liam square in the eye.   
  
And Liam hated to admit it, but she was right. Earlier when he'd smelled Niall's blood, he had known it was diluted with something that wasn't human. It was mostly human and something else. He very well  _could_  be a mostly-human descendent of a leprechaun or some other fae. It made way too much sense. It also explained how Niall's scent would have been overlooked by Cody. Fae blood did have a distinct scent, but above all, it protected. Liam didn't know too much about fae, but he did know that. The blood neutralized them to enemies. And Liam had Niall's blood in his system right now. Reluctantly, he nodded and told Niall, "She's right. You're not  _completely_  human. Mostly, you are... but your blood is different."   
  
Niall's eyes widened in shock. "So... I'm a fairy."   
  
"No." Isabel said sternly. "You're too human to be fae. But you do have some of the blood in you. You probably had an ancestor way back when that was fae. You have just enough of the blood to protect you from Cody. And Liam," she said, turning again, "I assume you drank Niall's blood when you were getting down with your bad selves and that's why Cody didn't know what you two did. Oh, don't look at me like that. That guilty look you gave me and Zayn this morning said everything."   
  
At that, Niall blushed and let out an awkward giggle. Liam put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "This is kind of amazing news." Liam said.  
  
Niall nodded dazedly. "Yeah. It is. Weird, but kind of cool. So I have no powers or anything like that?"   
  
"Probably not." Isabel told him. "But get Gemma's fae girlfriend to evaluate you or whatever they do." She waved her hand to indicate  _whatever_. "I learned a lot about the fae when I was in PAUSE but I'm not sure about all of their customs. They're secretive about them. I just know they have them."  
  
"Should I call Dana?" Niall asked, his eyes still wide. "She would know what to do, right?"   
  
Isabel picked up Niall's mobile from the coffee table and handed it to him. " "One way to find out, leprechaun."   
  
  
  
Gemma and Dana came through right away. Liam felt bad because maybe the girls felt like they were at One Direction's beck and call, but once Niall mentioned it had to do with "fairy issues," Gemma said she would grab Dana and be right there. And true to her word, she and Dana appeared in the living room. Both of them had messy hair, and if Liam could have, he would have blushed. Those two must have had a lot of sex.  
  
When Dana realized that they were in a room with just Niall and two vampires, she did back up just a little. But she put on a brave face and greeted everyone politely. After all, they had all already met. But neither Zayn nor Louis was here to keep Liam and Isabel under control. Though Liam had no doubts that Gemma would freeze him if it came to it, despite how long they had known each other.   
  
"What's up?" Dana asked, absently combing through her hair with her fingers. When she did it, her hair became much smoother and somewhat shinier as well, if that was possible. Must have been the fae effect. Liam was pretty sure that Niall couldn't do  _that_.   
  
"Isabel thinks I might have fairy ancestors." Niall told Dana and Gemma. And he and Liam both tried to explain what they could about the situation. When Niall blushed and awkwardly mentioned the sex part, Isabel just sat there, amused by the whole thing. She smirked, watching as if she was an overseer to all of this. And yet, somehow Liam knew that she was also proud of herself for figuring this out and coming to this conclusion. Especially before Louis had.   
  
"Is there a way to find out if Niall is part fae?" Liam asked Dana, keeping his voice as calm and friendly as possible. He knew that Dana and Gemma could take care of themselves if need be, but he still didn't want to seem like a threat. After all, he didn't even like to drink from people other than Niall.   
  
Dana nodded. "There is. But you two," she pointed to Isabel and Liam, "can't be there for it." Then she turned to Gemma and smiled apologetically. "And I'm sorry. Neither can you."   
  
"I know." Gemma said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek, which sent Niall into a little fit of giggles and made his face turn even redder.   
  
Then, Dana gave Niall a friendly smile and extended her hand. "Come on."   
  
Niall reached out and took Dana's hand tentatively. The moment their fingers touched, they were gone.   
  
  
  
Niall had no idea where they were. It was some forest, he supposed, but he wasn't sure where. They were in a clearing, and Dana just stood there, staring out at the trees, which was kind of weird.   
  
"Where are we?" Niall asked, breaking the silence.   
  
Dana sighed and turned to him. "Fae magic really only works in nature. It doesn't matter what kind you are. Even leprechauns have trouble in civilization, though it bruises their egos and they like to suggest otherwise. But anyway, the fae world is open to anybody with a fae heritage. But you can't see it unless you're one of us. So, for example, Liam wouldn't be able to see her." She pointed outwards, and Niall squinted. In the distance, he saw the faint outline of a young girl running around the trees. He sucked in his breath. That little girl was a fairy.   
  
" _Jesus_ ," he whispered. He could see her.   
  
Dana smiled. "Yeah, you're part fae alright. That little girl is a Dryad and she lives in the fae world, and this spot is kind of a limbo."   
  
"There's more?" Niall blurted out, surprised.   
  
"Oh yeah." Dana told him. "There's more. See, some fae choose to live in their own world. Others, like my family, as well as Colin's family, we choose to live among humans and other supernaturals, though we keep to ourselves and usually don't tell anybody who we are. We should find out what kind you are, though, don't you think?"   
  
Niall blinked and nodded. He couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe that he had a defense against Cody, or that he wasn't the only supernatural in One Direction, even if he _was_  mostly human. He couldn't believe that either his parents never told him about this or didn't know.   
  
They walked further into the forest, and as they did, it wasn't a forest anymore. Instead, figures emerged, girls in flowing dresses and guys just wearing weird trousers. Some of them clearly ignored each other, but some smiled warmly at each other, handing them fruit as a greeting gesture.  _I can't be one of these people_ , Niall said as he gawked.   
  
"Stop staring," Dana whispered. "They don't like it."   
  
Niall looked away. He couldn't help it. He stared at stuff that was unusual to him and this was one of the most unusual things he'd ever experienced. "What is this?" he whispered back.   
  
"The market. It exists between the kingdoms, Winter and Summer. They always have a rivalry. If you see any fae that deliberately avoid each other, they're from different courts."   
  
"What court are you from?" Niall asked. He could hardly believe he was talking about this.   
  
"Neutral." Dana said. "My family  _was_  from Summer, but we moved to the human world so that we wouldn't actually be obligated to be loyal to a court. We'd rather just be loyal to ourselves."   
  
That made sense to him. He hoped that he wouldn't have to choose either.   
  
"How do we find out what I am?" Niall asked. "And what are  _you_?"  
  
She smiled at him. "A Trooper. Trooping fae. But like I said, my family broke away from here so we don't walk around like we're better than everyone else, which is what my kind do. But in general I'm very connected to nature. Some fae have different characteristics but there's always some sort of nature thing. Anyway, there's a woman here who can help identify your heritage. She's about two-thousand years old and  _very_  wise. Come on."   
  
She hooked her arm through Niall's and led him down a stone path.   
  
  
  
"You know, I should be able to cook by now." Louis said, standing over the stove. He was trying to make stir fry, like Harry had shown him, but he had managed to burn it. Only Liam and Isabel were in the house, in the kitchen with him, but they didn't eat.   
  
"See, that's why being a vampire is easier." Liam said, drinking some blood from a bag. "It doesn't need to be cooked. Just heated up."   
  
Louis shot him a look. "Yeah, you should turn me just because I don't know how to cook." At that, Isabel snickered, which was a pleasant surprise. He was shocked that she'd been tolerable these past few days. "God, I can't wait until Harry comes home. How much time do you think has passed there?"   
  
"My guess is a day or so." Isabel said, looking up from her magazine.   
  
A day. Harry had only gone a day without him. Louis frowned as he turned back to his food. It had been weeks.  _Weeks_.   
  
But this had to happen, he thought sadly. No matter how much he missed Harry. Even though the moment he got back, he was going to grab him and drag him into their bedroom.   
  
A few moments later, he heard Niall behind them. "That was absolutely amazing!"   
  
Louis turned around. He and Dana had just appeared out of nowhere. "Oh hey. Where were you?"   
  
"I'm part Brownie!" Niall announced excitedly, a huge smile on his face.   
  
Louis couldn't help but stare at him, and Isabel laughed out loud. "Oh god, that makes  _too_  much sense." She turned to Louis, an amused look in her eyes. "Doesn't it?"   
  
Dana walked over to the counter to help herself to the fruit bowl while Niall gave Isabel a confused look. "What do you mean that makes too much sense?"   
  
"And how did this come about anyway? Nobody ever tells me anything." Louis said, even though that wasn't true. They  _did_  often tell him what was going on but hadn't this time. "Niall doesn't even look like a Brownie. And aren't they Scottish?" He hadn't studied fae lore in awhile, but he had heard that much.  
  
"Not all of them," Isabel told him. "There are different sects of Brownies. Anyway, Niall's personality fits it. Anyway, he's so human that it doesn't matter."   
  
Liam seemed to ignore what Isabel said as he stood up and walked over to Niall, wrapping him into a hug. And then, to Louis' surprise, kissed Niall right on the mouth. And Niall let him. Louis couldn't help himself; he whistled through his fingers, suddenly understanding exactly why Niall had wanted to find out his heritage. He couldn't be detected by Cody. Liam and Niall just wanted to be together, and in a way, they could. Even if it wasn't perfect.   
  
"It  _does_  matter." Dana told Isabel, swallowing a bite of her apple. "The kind of fae he is determines the kind of protection and the level of protection he has. Even if he is about ninety percent human."   
  
Louis fought the urge to say  _oh snap_  as Isabel's eyes met Dana's, challenging her to speak further.   
  
However, instead of owning the vampire again, Dana grinned and took her mobile out of her pocket. "I'm going to go ring Gemma to pick me up." She proceeded to walk into the foyer, dialing her girlfriend's number.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Liam felt good about things. He was happy with Niall's news. It was a relief that he was part fae, because that meant they could be all over each other and Cody wouldn't know.   
  
They had filled Zayn in when he had come home from a modeling meeting, and he was a bit surprised by the news. However, Liam had tried to communicate to Zayn silently that this was probably one of the best things that could happen and Zayn seemed happy for them.   
  
Later that night, Liam and Niall had taken full advantage of the fact that they could be all over each other. Liam admitted to Niall that he felt dirty because Cody had had him in the recording studio, but Niall brushed it aside and showed Liam why he was so much better. And Liam, of course, knew that. Still, he and Niall touched each other late into the night, kissing deeply and giggling because of how happy they were. That was, until Niall fell asleep. After that, Liam surfed the internet for awhile, and he also looked at Twitter. He found fans speculating about Harry's whereabouts and had the urge to butt in and reassure them that everything would be alright.   
  
He was feeling rather optimistic. It was a nice change.   
  
At about nine in the morning, while Niall was still sleeping, he received a text message from Andy. He hadn't spoken to Andy too much since Liam had been turned.   
  
' _Uhhhhhhh Liam?? U Might Want To Check The Papers....._ '   
  
And that text had been followed by other messages from family and friends saying essentially the same thing.  
  
Liam frowned and searched his name in  _news_  finally finding the headline he was looking for. When he saw what everyone was talking about, his mobile fell out of his hand to the floor.   
  
' _Cody Elliot Admits to a Romantic Relationship with his Mentor, One Direction Lad Liam Payne_ '   
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
As Harry, Alysa, and Gabe walked, the colors grew deeper, and the figures grew clearer. The spirit world was like a city without the skyscrapers, it seemed. They were going all sorts of places. Harry wondered where the spirits "lived" as he looked around. Did they just become invisible when they didn't want to be around anyone? To Harry's understanding, they acted a lot like they had when they were alive, other than the fact that they no longer had bodily functions. They also didn't have material objects other than the ones in that world. He noticed that the plants had become different as well. Transparent but touchable, and even more jagged. Some stems were prickly and some were thicker than normal. There were large plants that were about the size of trees filling up space as well, and the spirits walked right around them.   
  
"This is so cool." Alysa said quietly. "Like... there are  _other worlds_."   
  
Harry laughed. "There are even more worlds than this. There's a world for fae as well. I imagine there are others out there that we don't know about."   
  
"I wonder if fairy world at least has places to go and do stuff." Gabe commented cynically, crossing his arms. "This is just open space. When we die we have to  _stay_  here?"   
  
Alysa shot him a look. "At least we know there's life after death, Gabe. There are people all over the world, some freaking out about the fact that they think they won't exist anymore. Who cares if it's just open space. I think the spirits care about company of loved ones more than going out and shopping and partying anyway."   
  
To Harry's surprise, that shut Gabe up. "Alright, well. I'm going to summon Charles. He said he would lead us when we arrived. You guys ready for this?" he asked the two teenagers. They nodded.   
  
Harry raised his arms. "Charles, we are here," he said in Astairnian. "I summon you."   
  
A few seconds later, Charles materialized before them, smiling. "Hello. I'm glad you made it. It was sooner than I expected."   
  
"We would have been here sooner, but we didn't know there was an edge to the spirit world." Harry told him apologetically.   
  
Charles waved his hand. "No matter. It all circles around. You would have arrived eventually. That space is reserved for new spirits who come, though the space here is very much endless. I believe that first I will bring you to my alliance, and then I will instruct you as to where you can find the dark spirits. Does that sound alright?"   
  
Alysa said "yes" and Gabe and Harry both said "fine."   
  
"Well, come along then." Charles said, starting forward.   
  
And the three witches followed him.


	9. Chapter 9

The plants grew larger as they approached the place where they were meeting the other spirits. Harry tried not to ogle, but he felt like he was being led into one of those garden mazes. It was a very secluded area, and for a world that had almost all of the ghosts that had ever existed, this area wasn't very populated at all. Maybe some spirits knew enough to stay away from here. After all, Charles had informed them that they were very much  _not_  neutral in this situation. However, the guise of neutrality helped these particular spirits from going dark, as Charles explained. As long as they talked together about the situation and did not physically interfere, they were safe.   
  
Harry couldn't help but be nervous. He had met some spirits, of course. He'd summoned plenty. But he was about to be in a whole group of them. He sort of felt like he had when he tried out for the X Factor, or when he realized just how deeply in love with Louis he actually was. He didn't get shy, not really. But something about the fact that he would be confronting people who had lived and died and seen so much of what existed in the world  _intimidated_  him.   
  
As they reached the center of the ghost world's maze, there was a clearing. And in the clearing, there were clusters of spirits. Of all ages. Kids sat together, playing with plants, Teenage ghosts were huddled together, girls whispering in each other's ears and giggling. Most of the spirits were adults. Once Harry, Gabe, and Alysa entered the clearing with Charles, everyone looked at them. Harry was used to being stared at, but not because he was expected to save the world. And he felt sort of bad for Gabe and Alysa, who were only fourteen, and hadn't really had the attention of large crowds before. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two teenagers step closer to each other out of instinct.   
  
"Everyone, this is Harry, Alysa, and Gabriel." Charles announced. He didn't have to ask for everyone's attention; as soon as they saw what was going on, they turned to Charles for an explanation. "They are the ones we have given our powers. They have agreed to help us."   
  
"Well, if we don't, the world will go to shit, won't it?" Gabe asked, rolling his eyes. Harry shot him a harsh look, mostly because he couldn't nudge him in his side. Though he wasn't the only one shooting Gabe a look. A lot of the ghosts were already glaring at him.   
  
 _Great_ , Harry thought.  _Awesome start._  
  
"What he means," Harry said, flashing his best smile to the spirits, "is that we care about our world, and we care about your world, and we don't want to see either destroyed. We have families and friends." Again, Harry felt nervous, but this time because he missed Louis as well as everyone else back home. "And there are a lot of innocent people that don't deserve this."   
  
That pacified some of the ghosts. Some of the older ones (Harry judged age by their clothing and appearances, not how old they appeared to be) still looked suspicious of him.   
  
Alysa smiled. "Hi. I'm Alysa. Neither Harry or I are as ridiculous as Gabe here is." She signaled to Gabe, who just stared at her blankly. "We really are here to help."   
  
Charles could obviously tell there was some tension among the spirits, and he stepped forward again. "Everyone, we chose these three for a reason. Harry was already chosen long before this, but both Alysa and Gabe are strong and are very tuned into their magic. They can do this."   
  
"They're  _children_ ," an older man said, stepping forward. "These two are  _children_." He nodded in Alysa and Gabe's direction. "And Harry is not much older. How can these three save all of us and the the living world?"   
  
"We're passionate about it." Alysa retorted immediately. "And it's rude of you to call us  _children_. Gabe and I are both fourteen."   
  
"Children." came a female voice from the crowd.   
  
"A child who can do this," Gabe said, pointing upwards. Instantly, a green light flew out of his finger with intensity, changing the whole color of the surrounding area. The spirit world's version of "sky" (which Harry was pretty sure was just more open space), now swirled with green and blue. Harry had to hand it to him. The guy had been practicing. "Yeah. Doing that takes a lot of practice. This ghost magic stuff is the only thing I've ever actually  _studied_ , so don't tell me I suck at it before actually seeing me in action. The same goes for Alysa and Harry."   
  
Alysa gave Gabe an impressed look, and Harry was just shocked. He thought he'd be doing most of the talking, but the other two were taking care of that well enough. That was fine, though. It gave him a chance to observe and listen, which he was better at anyway.   
  
"Fine." the man said, crossing his arms. "Give it a try. How exactly do you expect to do this? You won't go dark like we would, but you will need to find some way to confront them. And I can assure you that they are beyond reason. Once our kind go dark, they can't go back."   
  
Harry glanced at both Gabe and Alysa and then he nodded. "We've read the whole book. We know there are ways to do this. We talked strategy as we walked here, and we have a sort of plan."   
  
"A sort of plan." another man said, scoffing. "That sounds promising."   
  
Harry wanted to snap at him that it was better than  _he_  could do, but he held back. Gabe opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Charles turned to them. "Come with me." he said, leading the way to the side of the clearing. He told the crowd of spirits that they could go about what they were doing and talking about and soon the four of them were standing in a secluded square near the edge of the clearing.   
  
"You will find the dark spirits close to here." Charles advised them. "We avoid each other. Anyway, I know it was a tough crowd, but there are several of us who have the utmost faith in you."   
  
"We can do this." Alysa spoke assuringly, giving the ghost a nervous smile.   
  
"What exactly  _is_  this plan you came up with?" Charles asked.   
  
Harry was suddenly assured of their plan. He'd been against it from the start but he saw no other option. "Exorcism." Charles widened his eyes and quickly Harry explained, "We don't  _want_ to. But there's nothing else we actually can do if the dark spirits can't turn back. And who's to say they wouldn't go dark again, even if they could?"   
  
Charles nodded. "Be careful. We want you all to get back to your friends and families." He looked Harry square in the eye. "And to that fiance of yours."   
  
Harry blinked at him. "Um. How do you know that?" He was particularly worried because Charles was from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and he seemed quite traditional.   
  
"There are some things the spirit world just knows. And we do have spirits that go back and forth." Charles told him, "I suspected when you visited me the first time, though. When you time traveled."   
  
Harry bit his lip nervously. "Yeah... uh. Um. You probably don't approve or whatever..."   
  
"Well," Charles said with a slight smile, "I have to admit and say that I had never given it much thought when I was alive. But in the spirit world, you meet all kinds. I've met people from Ancient Greece, men who preferred the company of other men. Men who had men  _and_  women. I have also met women who preferred women. Being dead puts a whole new perspective on things."   
  
Gabe scowled. "Let's hope it does that for some of the people in the world who need it  _now_. There are plenty of assholes who need it."   
  
Harry had to admit that he agreed, but he said to Charles, "Thanks. Couldn't have my favorite ghost hating me."   
  
Charles shook his head. "You're a good person, Harry. So you need to get out of this safely.  _All_  of you do," he told them.   
  
 _Especially Alysa and Gabe_ , thought Harry. Because they still had their whole lives ahead of them. Well, they were only a little younger than him, but he knew that if it came down to it, saving them would be his first priority.   
  
  
  
Harry, Alysa, and Gabe left the maze soon after. Some of the friendlier spirits made sure to give them a polite send-off. The cynical ones stayed off to the side or spoke to them stiffly. Some of the teenage ghosts were enthusiastic and excited about it, even though they didn't know that the plan consisted of reluctant exorcism.   
  
Charles was right about the location of the dark spirits. Harry hadn't even given much thought to the lightness of where they had just been. The clearing had been nice and pleasant. Now, as they walked, it grew darker, and he knew for a fact that it wasn't because it was night time. Day and night didn't exist here.   
  
"This is freaky." Alysa muttered. They approached more ghost world shrubbery. These plants were much more jagged, and they were covered in thorns. Did dark ghosts create this?   
  
Harry frowned and crossed his arms. He would have given anything to be home right now. To be singing on stage with the lads, or hanging out with Louis. There was a chance he wouldn't make it out of this. He looked over at the two teenagers, who seemed to feel the same dread he did. Being here felt  _wrong_. But Harry suspected it was because they were in dark territory. It wasn't supposed to feel right.   
  
That was when Harry felt something hit his back and he stumbled forward against the thorny shrubbery before jumping back and turning around in time to see a dark spirit.   
  
Dark spirits looked just like regular ones, but their eyes were dark while regular spirits' eyes were much lighter. If Harry didn't know better, he would have mistaken this for a regular spirit.   
  
He stared at the dark spirit, and realized that his defenses were down as the ghost raised its arm and produced some sort of liquid material with its hand, throwing it Alysa. Suddenly Alysa's hands were tied together.   
  
Gabe was next. To his credit, he shot out a blue spirit light at the dark spirit. However, he wasn't fast enough. The dark spirit tied Gabe's hands together with no effort at all.   
  
Then Harry met the dark spirit's eyes. "We're here to help you."   
  
The spirit approached them. As it came closer, Harry realized it was a guy about his own age. Or at least he  _appeared_  that way. For all Harry knew, the guy could have died years ago. "You think we don't know who you are and why you're here? If you think we're letting you go, you're an idiot. Are you going to come willingly or do I have to bind your hands, too?"   
  
Harry looked at Alysa and Gabe, who were giving him a look. Somehow Harry knew what they were trying to communicate to him. Harry told the dark spirit, "Of course I'll come willingly. But we  _are_  here to help you. We want to help your cause."   
  
The ghost snorted. "Right. Come on, pretty boy." He waved his hand and the thorny plants separated to reveal the dark spirits' clearing.   
  
Just like in the other clearing, this one was filled with spirits. However, Harry noticed something strange about them.   
  
They all were teenagers and young adults. All of them. No kids, no one who appeared elderly. And from the looks of it, these teenage ghosts had died fairly recently. He saw some that had probably died in the 90s, but most of them were dressed in modern clothes. Which meant that these younger ghosts had banded together; they wanted to take their world back.They were the only age group that actually would have gone through with it.   
  
The guy who had led them into the clearing introduced them as "the witches." Harry noticed recognition pass over the dark spirits' faces. Before they could speak, Harry did. "We are here to help you. We can do what you want. Work from the living room. Uh... prepare it for you. It's obviously going to happen so we want to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible."   
  
One girl who was sitting on the ground looked up. Judging from her outfit, she looked like she had died fairly recently. "Uh, no offense, but what the hell is Harry Styles doing here? You're not dead, are you?"   
  
Harry shook his head. "No. Gabe, Alysa, and I are here on a mission to help. We don't think the world should be limited to anybody. There are all sorts of supernaturals who come and go as they please. So why not spirits?"   
  
Some of the spirits began to whisper among each other. Harry could tell they were suspicious, and with good reason. They needed a way to convince them that they were on the dark spirits' side. Without, of course, actually converting to it. There was no way that Harry believed that the ghosts should actually be able to take over, but as long as he let them believe that he thought they had an innocent motive, maybe they would be convinced. But they still weren't. Some shook their heads, and some just glared at the three of them.   
  
Then Gabe stepped forward. "We're witches. So we'll do an oath. You guys have to know that if we make an oath we're bound to obey it."   
  
Harry shot Gabe a wide-eyed look, as did Alysa. An  _oath_? An oath to  _obey_  these demons? He wanted to ask Gabe just what the hell he thought he was doing, but he knew he couldn't without getting caught.   
  
The guy who brought them into the clearing crossed his arms. "Go on, then. Swear your loyalty to us. Maybe then we'll believe you."   
  
Gabe didn't hesitate as he began to speak in Astairnian. "I, Gabriel Cyland, pledge my loyalty to your cause."   
  
Harry gaped at him. He had to be bluffing. He  _had_  to be. Gabriel shot him a look as if to say  _go on, do it_. Harry didn't know what he was doing, but there had to be a reason for this. He did trust Gabe, after all. "I, Harry Styles, pledge my loyalty to your cause."   
  
"I, Alysa Foster, pledge my loyalty to your cause." Alysa said softly. The look on her face said  _I hope Gabe knows what he's doing_.   
  
"Well, they said the oath." A boy who looked about fourteen stepped forward. He smiled at Alysa creepily and she instinctively stepped closer to Gabe. "We have to believe them now, don't we?"   
  
The spirits were hesitant but they couldn't say much if they'd pledged their loyalty. Harry looked questioningly at Gabe. How were they going to get out of this one?   
  
The spirits introduced themselves, and Harry studied them carefully. Indeed, they had gone bad. There was something in their eyes that told him they were too far gone.  
  
A few minutes later, the dark spirits dispersed. Part of their cause was trying to spread the word about the takeover. Harry took Gabe and Alysa aside, and then frowned at Gabe. "Seriously. The oath? If we break it, we're going to  _die_. For real."  
  
Gabe shook his head and smirked. "Actually, no. We won't. Our regular magic doesn't work here, remember? It doesn't matter if we did the oath. Anyway, I already tested it out. I took an oath that if Alysa didn't trip over anything between two certain points,  _I_  would trip." Alysa glared at him, but Gabe continued anyway. "So don't worry. We can still go through with our plan. Why don't we start now and get it over with?"   
  
Some of the dark spirits were starting to come back; it seemed they traveled fast. Harry closed his eyes. He knew he had to do this, but he was about to essentially re-kill  _people_. Why had they thought this would be a good plan in the first place? Not that they knew of any other options.   
  
"I would probably throw up if I had any bodily functions right now." Harry muttered weakly. Luckily only Gabe and Alysa heard him. Alysa nodded sympathetically but Gabe rolled his eyes and mouthed  _sissy_. Harry just rolled his eyes back at the kid, as he had learned that was the best response. Gabe liked to act tough and brave, but Harry knew he'd come through for him if he needed it.  
  
Harry couldn't shake the feeling that they were about to snuff out someone's existence. The truth was that they didn't know what existed beyond the spirit world. Maybe nothing did. Maybe the spirit world was some sort of purgatory. Maybe this was a type of Heaven and when they exorcised a ghost, they went to some type of Hell.   
  
But this ghost, this girl, she was a dark spirit. Harry could tell that she was so dark that there was no going back. There was just something about her that was  _bad_  in addition to volunteering to be in the first round for the ghost takeover.   
  
"We can take this one." Alysa told him quietly, "If you don't want to..."   
  
"We all need to." Harry insisted. "Let's do this."  
  
Together they approached the girl. She was doing some ghostly power thing, making the plants grow larger with ectoplasm that came out of her hands.   
  
"Hey." Gabe said.   
  
The girl turned around and her eyes widened at Harry, Gabe, and Alysa as they all raised both of their hands in front of the girl's face. Their hands glowed blue and the light suddenly shot out, hitting the girl in the face. Speaking in Astairnian in unison, they said, "Exorcise. Dark spirit, you are banished."   
  
And just like that, the girl wasn't there anymore.   
  
Harry kneeled on the ground, suddenly feeling ill and disgusted with himself. Even though he couldn't get sick, he did feel nauseous somehow. Maybe it was a psychological thing since technically right now he didn't have a stomach. Still, he pretended to take deep breaths, even though air didn't matter, or even exist, right now. It didn't help. He couldn't do this. He couldn't do what they had just done to  _thousands_. "There has to be another way."   
  
Alysa kneeled in front of Harry, giving him a comforting smile. "I don't like it either. But we did look through the whole book. If we want to save the world, we have to get rid of the dark spirits."   
  
Harry looked up into her eyes. This fourteen year old girl who had just come into both kinds of her magic was braver than he was.   
  
"Look, dude, Lys and I can handle it if you can't." Gabe interjected.  
  
Harry glared at him. "I'm fine," he snapped, standing up.   
  
"You're not fine." Gabe replied calmly. "You look like you're going to hurl even though you  _can't_. Alysa and I will do some more. You take a break. If you feel better, rejoin us."   
  
"What am I supposed to do?" Harry asked. "Stand here and wait?"   
  
"Infiltrate, maybe." Alysa suggested. "You work from the inside while Gabe and I make the rounds. Learn whatever secrets they have. It could help."  
  
"I'm supposed to look out for you guys. You're just kids. You shouldn't have to-"   
  
"Oh shut up." Gabe interrupted. "We're  _not_  just kids. We're  _powerful_  kids. We all have the same ghost magic, so we're equals here. Alysa and I are going to go exorcise some demons while you stay here and talk to some of them."   
  
Before Harry could speak, Gabe stalked off. Alysa followed him, glancing back at Harry apologetically. Harry waved at her, smiling a bit to show that it was okay. The truth was that he was relieved. He knew he shouldn't be, and he shouldn't put this responsibility into two fourteen year olds' hands, but he had already started to feel a bit less sick. However, instead of joining the dark spirits, he stood there.   
  
He wondered how much time had actually passed since he'd been home. Had it been weeks? Months? A year? He had absolutely no way of knowing. He hated that he had been away from Louis so long, even though it had only been about two days for him. He should have been at home with the lads, performing cheesy love songs with them. He knew he'd miss out on some stuff, but he hadn't anticipated feeling this bad and, well, left out. Maybe he actually  _wasn't_  right for this job. If he couldn't handle exorcism... then what was the point of him having these extra powers in the first place?   
  
He began to walk a bit. Honestly... saving the world? What was he thinking? What had the ghosts been thinking when they picked him?   
  
Suddenly he felt something on his wrists. Something... binding. He lifted up his hands to find that they  _were_  bound together with ectoplasm, just like Alysa and Gabe's hands had been before. He looked up to see about ten spirits approaching him, and right in the middle of that crowd were Alysa and Gabe, both bound as well.   
  
"We caught these two exorcising." one guy said, glaring at Harry. "Is that what you came here to do?"   
  
Harry met Gabe's eyes and then Alysa's. They were fucked.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Every day, he told himself he was going to do something about it. Every day, Liam looked in the mirror and promised himself that no matter the circumstances, he was going to free himself from Cody's grasp. It would be more difficult now that the public was involved, or at least  _knew_  about them, but it was something he had to do.   
  
He wasn't as brave as he thought he would be. He frowned at his reflection. His face betrayed bravery. But he  _wasn't_  brave. He was a coward.   
  
When the story about him and Cody had come out two months ago, Liam had been at a loss as to what to do. Everything he'd feared about exposing his relationship with Niall was happening - but with the wrong person. He'd looked at the forums and the various articles - some were nice about it, but some were highly disapproving. After all, Liam had been Cody's mentor on the X Factor. The papers speculated if anything had been going on between them during the show, something he refused to comment on. And during auditions, whenever he was asked, he ignored the questions about him and Cody.   
  
He had talked to his parents about it, and even though they thought it was strange, they were supportive of him and his happiness. That made him feel incredibly guilty. He had yet to tell them he was a vampire, but he knew he wouldn't get away with it for much longer. All of the One Direction parents knew Harry was a witch. They knew the boys were involved in supernatural stuff. He might as well tell them, he thought. But then he would have to explain everything about Cody.   
  
They had just gotten past the boot camp stage, and Liam was working with the groups, something he was thankful for. Back when he was sixteen, he never thought that if he was a judge on the X Factor he would be mentoring the groups. He never thought he'd be part of one.  
  
Thinking about performing with the boys made him hunger for blood a bit - something he noticed happened whenever he was upset about something. He really just wanted everything to go back to normal.   
  
And then Niall's arms were around Liam's waist. Liam leaned back slightly as Niall kissed Liam's right ear. "Morning."   
  
"Morning to  _you_." Liam turned around. He ruffled Niall's hair a bit and then leaned in to kiss him. "You have to work today?"   
  
Niall nodded, smiling. "Yeah. You?"   
  
Liam told Niall that he did, even though he'd told Niall the same thing last night. But he looked forward to these little moments in the morning. Now that the public knew that maybe Liam wasn't completely and totally straight, he longed more than ever to come out to the public like Louis and Harry had. They'd been supportive of Louis and Harry, and even Niall when he came out on Twitter.   
  
It was crazy how he had completely changed his mind about coming out now that Cody had actually outed him.   
  
"Shame we can't just stay here." Liam told him, almost apologetically. "We could..." His eyes drifted to the shower and he bit his lip. God, he  _wished_.   
  
Niall's eyes lit up, and he looked excited about the prospect. "Let's do that later." Then he gave Liam another kiss. This time, a longer one. Liam slipped his tongue between Niall's lips, trying to wedge them apart, but Niall pulled back with a cheeky grin. "Not till later."   
  
Liam pouted, but it obviously didn't work. Niall left a few minutes later, and Liam walked downstairs to get himself some blood. When he came back upstairs, he stood in the kitchen with his blood bag and looked around at how  _clean_  everything was. Lately, Niall had been embracing his Brownie heritage and cleaning a lot, and even though Liam had never really thought him irritating, Louis, Zayn, and Isabel all thought he seemed much more calm. He'd had a little bit of a temper before as well, but now that he was doing domestic stuff around the house, that had almost completely disappeared.   
  
Liam had read up on Brownies, and he realized that even though Niall shared the whole housework aspect with them, that was where their similarities ended. Though that was probably a good thing, because all of the folklore suggested that Brownies weren't very friendly fae.   
  
"Yeah, Niall's cleaning skills are awe-inspiring." Liam looked up to find Louis entering the kitchen. He was already dressed for the day.   
  
Liam would have blushed if he could. "Whatever. I wasn't..."   
  
Louis waved him off with a slight smile. "You love Niall. Of course you're going to love anything he does." He rummaged through the fridge and then looked back. "It's the same with me and Harry, you know. As much as I was in denial, after we got together, everything he did was adorable."   
  
They talked about Harry often. The guy had been gone for so long, that Louis was growing more and more miserable. It helped Louis to talk about him. About a month ago, they had posted a pre-recorded video of Harry pretending to be in South America. It had put some peoples' suspicions to rest about Harry's whereabouts. But Liam could tell that Louis was more worried than ever. They had all known that this trip to the ghost world could take a long time, but they'd all hoped it wouldn't.   
  
"I think most of our fans would agree about Harry's cute factor." Liam pointed out. He took a last big gulp from his blood bag.   
  
"Probably." Louis agreed. "Anyway, what's up with the Payner today?"   
  
Liam frowned. "I have some X Factor stuff to work on, to prepare before judges houses. I have some meetings, including one with Simon. And then after that I have to see Cody." At Louis' look, Liam continued defensively, "Every day I tell myself, 'Today is the day. I'm going to try and end it with him today.' And then I chicken out because he's just...  _terrible_. He's awful, Louis."   
  
Louis' expression softened. "I know. And I know you think that he'd kill you if you dump him. It's a bad situation. It  _sucks_."   
  
That was all that could really be said. They'd been describing Liam's situation with Cody that way for months.   
  
  
Liam's meetings went normally, as expected. He also went over the information for each of the groups that had been invited to judges houses. There were two formed-at-bootcamp groups, as per usual, but the other groups were awesome as well. He also wondered if he'd be taken seriously, considering everyone knew about him and Cody now. Either way, he was excited about this upcoming series.   
  
Next, he stopped by Cody's flat. As much as he hated Cody, he plastered a fake smile on his face as he stepped into the front room. Cody shamelessly had half-drunken glasses of blood all over the place, but that didn't surprise Liam one bit. He had grown to realize that Cody didn't just drink blood to survive. He was more of an addict than anything.   
  
"Come sit with me on the couch." Cody instructed, and Liam followed him. As soon as they sat on the couch, Cody kissed him. Liam tried - he really did - to kiss Cody back. But something in him snapped. He jumped back from Cody suddenly and stared at him. This was all wrong.   
  
"What's with you?" Cody asked, confused.   
  
"I just don't feel like it today." Liam told him. "Can we play video games or something?"   
  
"You don't feel like it today." Cody repeated, a hint of suspicion in his tone. "Funny. You hardly ever  _feel like it_  anymore. And in my experience, becoming a vampire makes someone more horny than before. What gives?"   
  
Liam blinked, suddenly so glad that he had had some of Niall's blood last night. At least Niall was safe. "I... I don't know. I just... _Idontfancyyou_." Liam blurted out. And then he gasped, jumping up from the sofa. Had he really just said that? To his  _maker_?  _Shit_.   
  
For a moment, Cody was silent. And then, to Liam's surprise, he snorted. "You think I don't know that? You obviously still fancy Niall. And do you think I'm hopelessly in love with you? Trust me, Liam. I'm really only in this for the sex. But it  _is_  pretty great having someone who  _has_  to follow all of my orders. Hmm," He smirked and then stood up. "Take off your shirt."   
  
Liam grumbled, but took off his shirt. Cody's eyes momentarily flickered to Liam's trousers, and he took those off as well. He stood there in his underwear, crossing his arms, as Cody approached him. Then Cody's arms were around him and Liam felt so gross. Cody squeezed his ass, and then looked up into Liam's eyes. "Yeah, I could have chosen someone hotter. I could have chosen someone with a less wide-eyed view of the world. You're a bit of a dork. But that's why you're fun, Liam. That's why I keep you around, and that's why I'm keeping you for a long, long time."   
  
"Don't." Liam squeaked out. "I can't anymore. It's not fair."   
  
"Life isn't fair, Liam." Cody replied, his fangs now grazing Liam's shoulder. The sensation made Liam's own fangs emerge, much to his embarrassment. "You might be in one of the most famous boybands in the world, but even I know that."   
  
"Really." Liam said, growing braver. "I don't want to do this anymore."   
  
Something in his voice must have changed because Cody reeled back and stared at him, hard. "It doesn't matter what you want, Liam." Cody reached down and rubbed Liam's dick over his underwear. "Anyway, your cock says different."  
  
Liam closed his eyes. He'd been defeated.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
"The question is, what are we going to do with you?" the boy, presumably the leader of the dark spirits, asked as he crouched down in front of Harry. He looked like he was sixteen years old, and Harry thought it was a shame that he'd died so young. "We can't really  _hurt_  you, but we  _can_  keep you here. If we keep you here a few months, your whole lifetime in the living world will pass."   
  
"No." Harry told him strongly. "Gabe, Alysa, and I aren't staying here with you. You can't keep us trapped here."   
  
"I can. We all can." said the boy, gesturing to his entourage of ghosts. "Frankly, I don't care that you have family and friends. I certainly don't care that you're going to get married. We're going to accomplish what we've set out to do. We are going to take over. We're going to inhabit the Earth, like we should be able to do. This world has  _nothing_  for us."   
  
"That's not true." Alysa said, speaking up. "It's beautiful here. You have friends. You don't need to do this."   
  
The boy stepped closer to Alysa and gave her a flirtatious smile. "Sorry, cutie, but I have to. I want to. But don't worry your pretty little head about this. We're not hurting you."   
  
She looked like she wanted to spit in his face. Gabe looked like he wanted to kill the boy all over again. Neither of which they could do, obviously. Harry was right on board with that. If he could, he probably would have strangled the kid. Not only that, but suddenly he didn't feel so bad about exorcism.   
  
Alysa and Gabe had managed to get rid of eight ghosts before being caught. But it seemed like the dark spirits expected there to be casualties. They didn't care about their lost allies; they cared that  _they_  wouldn't get exorcised.   
  
Gabe glared at the guy. "Look, asshole. Let us go free and we'll go back home, okay?"   
  
"Too bad I don't believe you." the boy replied with a smirk. "Not after you've exorcised nine of my ghosts."   
  
"Why do you  _want_  to go to the living world?" Harry asked. "Do you honestly want to hurt people there? Because I have to say, that is fucked up."   
  
The boy turned back to him, now looking angrier than ever. His tone had changed from amused to pissed off in a matter of seconds. "Look at us. Every single one of us. You want to hear about fucked up? What about dying before our time? We've all died too young and we deserve  _better_. Our time was cut short and we deserve to be in the living world, to be able to experience it. And we want to make a mark. Some of us have been  _killed_  and we want to let those who hurt us know they can't get away with what they did. So yeah, people who get in our way, we'll hurt them. The good thing is though, we can use you. We need to get to the living world somehow. If you agree to transport us there, we'll free you."   
  
Harry couldn't take it. This was  _bullshit_. Complete and utter bullshit. He couldn't stand people like this - people who decided to take matters into their own hands. People who always wanted _revenge_. He felt his power building up inside of him, probably due to the anger.   
  
Suddenly he felt it. The ectoplasm binding his hands snapped. The boy blinked, and then pointed at Harry's wrists again, trying to bind him again. But there was a protective light around Harry's hands, some untapped spiritual power he figured. His hands couldn't be bound again. He touched Alysa and Gabe's wrists, freeing them. Then he turned back to the guy.   
  
"Looks like we don't need you to free us after all." he said.   
  
And then he lifted his hands and a burst of white light shot out at the dark spirits.


	10. Chapter 10

There were a few things Harry didn't anticipate in that moment.   
  
The first thing he didn't anticipate was that when the light stopped coming out of his hands, the ghosts were still there. He hadn't been sure what the light would do, just that it felt right. But for some reason, he had thought that maybe it would exorcise them all at once.   
  
 _That_  wasn't the case. When the light stopped, he lowered his hands, and studied the boy they had just been talking to. He looked confused. And not dark, either. Nor did he didn't look like the ghosts did before they'd gone dark. He looked like a cross between dark and light, a balance of sorts. That was what his aura radiated.   
  
And then Harry looked around and realized that each of the spirits in the vicinity looked the same way. Not dark, but not back to normal either. They no longer looked menacing. They all glanced at each other, and it seemed like they didn't understand why they were all there. Harry wondered if he'd erased their memories.   
  
Harry also didn't anticipate the apology.   
  
The boy, the leader, stepped forward, genuine regret in his eyes. "Shit.  _Shit_. Man, I'm sorry. I don't... I don't know what..." He turned and looked at the other formerly-dark spirits. "We... what happened to us?"  
  
Harry was thrown. And that was really saying something. He'd dealt with  _a lot_  in the past. He went through X Factor. He learned how to use magic. He found out Louis was in PAUSE. He found out he could do spirit magic. But he hadn't counted on the enemy  _changing_.  
  
He looked at his hands. What had he done? How had he done that? Puzzled, he looked to Alysa and Gabe. Gabe held up his hands as if to say  _don't look at me, dude_ , and Alysa shook her head. Neither of them knew. Somehow, Harry had a feeling that light wasn't something they had just skipped over in the book. There had been nothing that said, " _If you get angry enough, you can change the nature of spirits._ "   
  
"You're not dark anymore," Harry said in amazement. "You're, like... a mixture. Like..."   
  
"Just like people are." Alysa completed, blinking. "Harry... what you did was make them more human. Less of the mindset of a ghost, but more... human nature."   
  
"As long as they don't try to take over the world again." Gabe noted, still suspicious.   
  
"Don't get me wrong." the boy said. "I'm still pissed that I'm dead. But it's not like I can do anything about it. I don't want to hurt  _everyone_. I'll see the people I'm mad at when  _they_  die." The other teenage ghosts nodded in agreement, murmuring amongst themselves about how stupid world domination actually was and that people who deserved it would get what was coming to them anyway. Harry realized that  _that_  was what Alysa meant by human nature. They weren't entirely selfless and virtuous, but they weren't dark, demonic, or evil. If they wanted revenge, they would wait. And even then, they wouldn't be able to do much.   
  
"We can't go dark anymore." A girl said, stepping up next to the boy. "I can feel it. We're just... in the middle. I think we're going to stay this way."   
  
"I just... how is this possible?" Harry asked, fully aware that none of them knew. "I don't know what I did."   
  
"You saved us, that's what." another girl replied, giving him a small smile.   
  
"Does it matter how?" Gabe asked, glancing over at Harry again.   
  
Harry faced him sharply. "Of course it matters. If that's an untapped spirit power, it  _matters_. Things  _matter_ , Gabe, so I would appreciate if you could chill with your comments unless you're going to help."   
  
Alysa's eyes grew wide, and Gabe glared at Harry. "I've  _been_  helping. I'm the one who came up with the oath thing. I'm the one who proved to the other ghosts that we meant business. You were too squeamish to exorcise more than one ghost-"   
  
"Because there was a better alternative apparently." Harry shot back. Then he sighed and closed his eyes. "Alright. Fine. It looks like this not-dark thing is permanent. We should go back to the others. Tell them."   
  
"They probably would like to know." Alysa agreed.   
  
Harry told the ghosts that they should probably go with them; the others would want proof that the dark spirits were no longer dark. They agreed to this, also worried about proving to the others that they had changed. Harry would be suspicious, but he could tell that they were actually different now. They were humanized. It was like they remembered, now, what it was like to be alive. How  _they_  would want to be treated.   
  
Together, the witches and spirits walked back to the other clearing. It didn't take too long, and along the way the spirits made small talk. Harry learned little details about their lives, even about how they died. He could understand why some of them had gone dark. Some had been victims of abuse, shootings, events that caused them to die before they should have.   
  
Joshua, the boy who had led the dark spirits, explained that part of their common sense had been blocked off when they were dark. Their motives had been selfish, but they didn't realize it. Harry just felt bad that some of the spirits had been exorcised before Harry had been able to change them.  
  
When they walked into the clearing, the spirits who had sent them all stopped doing whatever they were doing. Some were standing around talking, and some weren't even there. Harry spotted Charles in the crowd. He turned around when everyone started staring, and he looked shocked that Harry, Alysa, and Gabe were followed by the others. He said something to the ones he was speaking to and then approached Harry.   
  
"What's going on?" Charles asked, his gaze switching back and forth between Harry, Gabe, and Alysa. He then glanced over at Josh who gave him a shy wave. He was so much more subdued now.   
  
"Turns out they can stop being dark." Harry explained. "Because I did that to them."   
  
"Impossible." Charles said, glancing at the crowd of spirits behind Harry again.   
  
"Dude, look at them. They're not dark. All you need are eyes." Gabe said, rolling his own. Harry shot him a look, but Gabe just shrugged and continued. "They don't want to take over the world anymore."   
  
"Harry did some weird thing." Alysa tried to clarify, "Shot out some light at them, and then they were suddenly..." She pointed at them, "Like this. They're not pure good, but they're not dark. They're... basically, human nature. Probably what they were like when they were alive. They've got their humanity back."   
  
Charles walked closer and studied the spirits. He made his way around the crowd, probably looking for signs of evil or selfishness. Finally, he stopped in front Joshua, looking him in the eyes. "We were led to believe one could not turn back from the darkness."   
  
"Not on our own." Joshua replied, keeping his eyes on Charles'. "I remember everything we did, everything we planned, when we were dark. I assure you, we will not go through with it. And," He turned to face Harry. "I give you and your friends my blessing to exorcise us if we even try." To Harry's surprise, the other spirits didn't protest about that at all. It further proved their sincerity. Harry just nodded in response, so glad that he actually didn't have to extinguish them.   
  
Charles looked at his group of spirits and spoke in a commanding fashion. "Keep them for questioning. Mara, Eric, you and I need to talk to Harry, Alysa, and Gabriel."   
  
Two of the older spirits stepped forward. Ones that had questioned their abilities earlier. It took all of Harry's willpower not to scowl. Instead, he planted a smile on his face and decided to be polite to Charles' friends like they were trying to do to Joshua and the others.   
  
They walked for a few minutes until they reached a much smaller clearing. This one had a different sort of plant surrounding it, tall red and purple leaves. When they had reached the clearing, he turned to Harry immediately. "Your power is different."   
  
Harry frowned. "What?"   
  
"It must be because there are three of you. This has never happened before." Mara said, appearing much less intimidating and judgmental than she had earlier.   
  
"So he's special  _again_?" Gabe whined, glaring at Harry. Not meanly, but jealously. Harry gave him an apologetic look.   
  
"No," said Eric. "It's all three of you. You  _all_  have the same powers. It must be that the power of three makes you stronger. Never before has a dark spirit turned...  _humane_. Never before have any of us been...  _in between_.Your powers  _are_  special." And he looked at Gabe. "It just seems like Harry got to use the special powers first."  
  
"Harry, that's so cool!" Alysa exclaimed. She looked like she wanted to hug him, and she probably would have if they didn't look like spirits right now.   
  
"It's kind of cool." Harry admitted. He couldn't help it. He'd been so worried about failing at this saving the world thing, and then it  _happened_. He  _wasn't_  just a singer. He  _wasn't_  just a friend, brother, witch, and boyfriend. He was  _supposed_  to be here, to do this. Whatever doubts he'd had before were gone.   
  
Charles looked at Mara and Eric, and they seemed to be communicating each other just by exchanging glances. Finally Charles looked at Harry, Gabe, and Alysa. "It's only fitting that there is a reward."   
  
Harry started to speak. "Oh no, we don't need a reward, we're happy to-"   
  
"Harry," Gabe said, "Let the ghost-man talk. What kind of reward would it be?"   
  
Charles ignored the  _ghost-man_  comment and said, "You have not only saved our world, but yours as well. You three do deserve a reward. We can give you extra, temporary spiritual power. But you would have to be specific about what you want, and you would all have the same temporary ability to use only once."   
  
"Harry, you, Lys, and I need to talk." Gabe said. There was a look in his eyes that told Harry that they really did need to. So they walked outside of the clearing so that the three spirits couldn't hear them.   
  
"We really don't need a reward." Harry told him. "What are you even thinking?"   
  
"Yeah, Gabe. Asking for a reward is a little bit... selfish." Alysa added, and Harry was pleased that she agreed with him.   
  
Gabe rolled his eyes. "I'm not thinking about myself." Then he looked Harry square in the eye. "I'm thinking about Liam."   
  
"Liam?" Harry asked dumbly. He'd never really talked about Liam's problem with Gabe and Alysa. Of course, he was sure they knew something, but he hadn't gone into detail. These two didn't even know the other lads that well. They'd met them, yes, but it wasn't like they were all one, big happy family.   
  
" _Oh_ ," Alysa said, finally getting it. She nodded and grinned at Gabe.   
  
"Let me spell it out for you." Gabe told him, "Liam is a vampire. Right?" Harry nodded. "He doesn't want to be." Again, Harry confirmed he was right. "That Cody guy turned him." Harry told him yes. "These spirits have  _all kinds_  of power. Their powers have to do with life and death. Liam is undead. I think that they probably have something that could fix Liam."  
  
Harry blinked at him, shocked that Gabe had actually paid that much attention to everything. "Are.... are you actually going to do something selfless? With your  _reward_?" Alysa laughed out loud at that.   
  
Gabe sighed and began to walk back toward the clearing. "Have you two not been paying attention while I helped save the world?"   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Zayn sat with Isabel at the kitchen table. He had just eaten a sandwich and was reading a magazine. She was reading some kind of teenage paranormal romance book and making fun of it every few minutes. Zayn always glanced up when she laughed and they smiled at each other. He couldn't get enough of it. Of  _her_.   
  
He knew that the others didn't really get them. Louis had come around but was still a bit weirded out that Zayn and Isabel were actually together. Niall and Liam were more easy-going with it, especially considering Liam's recent vampirism. He knew that when Harry came back, whenever the hell that was, he wouldn't necessarily understand it either.   
  
His family got it, though. Naturally they were concerned. They knew about the supernatural world even though they stayed out of it, and they had gone to Zayn's parents and told them about their relationship. Well, they had said they were  _really good friends_ , but he was pretty sure his mum and dad understood what they meant. He and Isabel didn't really label it and weren't exclusive, even though he hadn't really been interested in anyone else since she'd come back. It was a record for him. His parents had overlooked the whole vampire thing due to that fact. They were impressed with this girl, vampire or not, who could turn their son around. And Isabel drove him crazy in the best way.   
  
After another few minutes of silence, she finally spoke. But it wasn't to critique her book. It was something he should have known was coming, but didn't really expect.  
  
"I should go soon."   
  
Zayn looked up at her then, frowning. The last thing he wanted was for her to leave. He knew that his bandmates might not feel the same way, but it wasn't fair that he might lose her again just when he'd gotten her back. He'd never been too good with relationships in the past. His exes had accused him of having a wandering eye. But there was something about Isabel, not necessarily the vampire thing, that made him only want to look at her.   
  
Wanting to commit to someone so much  _scared_  him sometimes. And just his luck, he would feel this way about a vampire. Not only a vampire, but a vampire who declared herself a nomad.  
  
"I don't want you to leave." he admitted, hoping he didn't sound like a little kid. "I want you to stay here with the rest of us."   
  
She shook her head. "I'm intruding on your territory. And it was okay for awhile, because Louis used to be an asshole and he deserved it-"   
  
"He wasn't-"   
  
"But," she continued, "I need to leave before people get suspicious. We haven't been able to hide this from your fans. What'll we say when we're out in public a few years from now and I look the same as the day you met me? This isn't the life I'm meant for, Zayn. Or afterlife. Whatever."   
  
She had a point. She would always be this young, this gorgeous. He reached across the table and took her hand. "That's why I wanted you to turn me. So we can be together. Run off somewhere."   
  
Isabel made an undignified snort. "Right. Because you'll just up and leave your band. Your  _friends_. I don't want you to be like me, Zayn. After awhile the fun wears off. And you find yourself missing your humanity. So I'm not going to let you be a vampire. Your band already has too many supernatural freaks as it is and you're going to have to deal with Liam's vamp thing."   
  
Even though she had called Harry, Liam, and Niall  _supernatural freaks_ , Zayn could tell she meant it with a hint of affection, which was something he never thought he would hear in her voice. Sure, she let her guard down quite a bit when  _they_  were together, but she'd actually grown to like the guys, and he found that incredible.   
  
"If you were a human, would it be different?" Zayn asked, still holding on to her hand.   
  
"Don't talk about things that can't happen." Isabel replied.   
  
He had to admit that it probably wasn't fair to rub her vampirism in her face, and he didn't want to mention that she had been doing the same since they met. Instead, he nodded. "Well, when you go, I'll miss you."   
  
She sighed. "Don't get sappy on me, Zayn. I don't do sap."   
  
Zayn smiled, and decided to distract her instead. He stood up and walked over to her, sitting next to her on the sofa. She rolled her eyes, but then smiled, understanding what Zayn was doing. She reached out and pulled him to her, kissing him on the mouth, long and hard.   
  
"Come on." she said, tugging at his hand.   
  
In all fairness,  _she_  was the one who pulled him upstairs. As soon as they shut the door, Isabel tugged him toward the bed and pushed him down. She kneeled over him, lifting Zayn's shirt over his head. He helped her with her own, unfastening her bra as he kissed her neck.   
  
"I'm great at distraction, aren't I?" he noted, his lips against her skin.   
  
"Shut up." she ordered, undoing the zipper on his trousers. He chuckled, used to her attitude about this by now. Also, he found that he really liked to be put in his place, and Isabel was the only girl who had ever really done that to him.   
  
So he decided to put aside all of his worries and doubts. They could talk about all that later.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
Louis walked into the house mid-afternoon after going out for groceries. He'd greeted some fans and posed for some pictures, though he was awkwardly carrying grocery bags. Afterward, he headed home, hoping that he would be able to hang out with one of the guys. He kind of worried he was becoming annoying with that, though. He knew they all loved him, but they did have their own lives.   
  
He put the groceries away, though he was sure Niall would put them in their correct spots later, and then grabbed a popsicle from the freezer. He contemplated making a video diary and posting it to his YouTube page. He'd done a few of those in the past few weeks to keep himself occupied when he wasn't dealing with obligations or gigging. Usually he answered random questions that fans asked, and even some about him and Harry. Some fans still wanted to know about when they'd been kidnapped years ago, but that was something he couldn't talk about. Instead, he chose some of the strangest questions and gave stranger answers.   
  
He walked up the stairs. Yeah. A video diary would probably be a good idea.   
  
Then he walked into his bedroom and nearly dropped his popsicle.   
  
Harry was sitting on his bed, smiling at him. He looked exactly the same as the day he left.   
  
"What-"   
  
Harry grinned widely and jumped up from the bed. Suddenly Louis was wrapped in Harry's embrace. Harry murmured, "Can you eat that later?"  
  
"Yeah," Louis replied, still in a daze. He hadn't seen Harry in  _months_. It had been so long. But Harry had promised he'd come back, and here he was. Harry zapped the popsicle somewhere, probably downstairs to the freezer, and then Harry kissed him hard, his arms circling around Louis' neck.   
  
When Harry finally pulled back, he was still smiling. Louis grinned back, but he couldn't help asking, "Where are Gabe and Alysa? Did you save the world?"   
  
"They're at their homes, but they're coming back later." Harry explained. And then his smile grew even wider. "And, yeah, we saved it. But we don't have to talk about that right now."   
  
"'Course not." Louis agreed, pulling Harry back to him, kissing him deeply. He sighed against Harry's lips, just appreciating how this felt. He couldn't help but think he might have taken this for granted before Harry left. But now... now Harry was back and Louis was going to appreciate every moment. He couldn't believe he hadn't kissed Harry for so long.   
  
Again, they parted just a bit. Harry pulled back, staring at Louis with those stupid, perfect eyes and that ridiculous mouth, and Louis couldn't take it. He pulled Harry to the bed by his sleeve and then pushed him down. Harry laughed and pointed at Louis and himself, their clothes disappearing immediately. Louis groaned, shamelessly staring at Harry, laying there. Then he climbed onto the bed and pinned Harry down, kissing him again.   
  
"Where are our clothes?" Louis asked, half-joking.  
  
"Floor." Harry whispered against his mouth. "Doesn't matter."   
  
"No, it doesn't." Louis agreed, rubbing himself against Harry's leg. They were both pretty hard by now, though it had been pretty fast. But Louis couldn't help it. After not being touched by Harry for months, he was  _bound_  to get a hard-on at the slightest touch.   
  
Harry chuckled, running his hands through Louis' hair. "I'm so happy to see you. I love you."   
  
"Soppy person." Louis teased, actually quite pleased. "I love you too."   
  
"Soppy fiance." Harry corrected him, reaching around to grab Louis' bum. He squeezed and Louis let out a moan. He'd missed that. He'd missed Harry's hands  _everywhere_. "You look different," Harry commented as his lips touched Louis' neck. "You look hotter."   
  
"You look the same," Louis replied, stating the obvious. "Not that I'm disappointed."  
  
"It's only been a few days for me." Harry reminded him. Now his hand was on Louis' cock, stroking it a bit. Louis breathed in sharply. "Wonder how tight you are, assuming you haven't had sex all this time..."   
  
"You know I haven't," said Louis, trying not to give Harry the satisfaction of hearing him moan, no matter how much he wanted to. "I've been a monk since you left."  
  
"Really," Harry licked Louis' neck and suddenly started rocking into him. Their crotches brushed, and Louis realized that Harry had already lubed them both up. He let out a shuddering breath, and Harry looked back up into his eyes. "Do you want me to fuck you?"   
  
"Am I that obvious?" Louis replied. He kissed Harry deeply as he reached over into the bedside drawer to retrieve a condom. He handed it to Harry and Harry skillfully put it onto himself without breaking the kiss. Harry teased him a bit at his entrance, brushing his dick against it, but Louis knew that Harry wouldn't enter him yet. Not without fingering him. And sure enough, Harry turned Louis over gently, kissing his hip, and then right on his bum. Louis couldn't help but laugh. "Applies a new meaning to the saying  _kiss my arse_."   
  
"Shut up," Harry chastised softly, "I'm being romantic by kissing you all over."   
  
"By kissing my  _arse_."   
  
Harry didn't respond verbally. Instead, he slid a finger right into Louis and Louis gasped. Of course he was used to this overall, but Harry was right. It had been  _months_. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was really intense. Harry saw Louis' reaction and went deeper, moving his finger in and out. Then suddenly he hit Louis' prostate and Louis cried out, "Fuck!"   
  
"Not yet." Harry's lips grazed Louis' ear, which also made him shudder.   
  
Harry continued to finger fuck him, teasing him just enough that Louis almost came sooner than expected. But Harry must have noticed and went at a bit lighter, kissing the back of Louis' neck. Then he pulled his finger out and Louis actually whimpered. He was glad that Harry didn't judge him with these things because he couldn't help it. He wanted Harry in him. So much. He looked at Harry expectantly and Harry smiled, kissing his cheek.  
  
Harry entered him then. Louis groaned and rocked back onto Harry's cock, desperate for Harry to hit the perfect spot. And, of course, Harry did. Harry breathed hard, but kept planting kisses all over Louis wherever he could, and Louis couldn't help but fall in love with him a bit more in that moment. And it was funny because he loved Harry so much that he wasn't sure he  _could_ love him more. But every time he thought he'd fallen in love with Harry as much as he possibly could, Harry did something that made Louis' heart swell, something that made Louis want to wrap his arms around Harry and hold him close. Or have sex with him, obviously.   
  
Harry pulled out before Louis finished and again he whined, " _Harry_ , what are you doing?"   
  
"This," Harry said, turning Louis back again so he lay with his back down. Now Harry hovered over Louis and entered him again, thrusting at just the right speed an intensity. Louis was close, but Harry wasn't rushing it. As they moved together, he explained, "I wanted to see you better."   
  
Louis was at a loss for words for a moment. God, Harry was just... ugh. What had he ever done to deserve him? Finally, when he found his voice again, all he could say was, "Love you."   
  
"Love you too." Harry said, bending down to kiss him.  
  
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
  
Awhile later, Liam and Niall were lazing about in bed. It had been a long day, and since Louis and Zayn didn't seem to be around, they looked at each other and mutually decided to relieve each other of some stress. Niall was now resting against Liam's chest, and Liam was playing with Niall's blond hair absently.   
  
"I didn't even have dinner." Niall mused, mumbling against Liam's skin.   
  
Liam laughed. Niall  _would_  bring up food at a time like this. He grinned. "I did."   
  
"And I have the teeth marks to prove it." Niall looked up at Liam and smiled. "But really... I am starving."   
  
Liam nodded and they got out of bed, putting on sweatpants and t-shirts before heading downstairs. When they got to the kitchen, Liam noticed a book on the table, something about teenage vampires, and he knew that Isabel had been here earlier. He sat down at the table and picked up the book while Niall helped himself to some leftover takeout. Niall sat down at the table next to Liam and though he was chewing, he asked, "What's that?"   
  
"It's called  _The Darkening_ ," Liam said, amused. "It's about this teenage girl who meets a vampire and they're apparently soulmates."   
  
Niall snorted. "Twilight?"   
  
"The author of Twilight has a quote on the back of this book," Liam said, "Saying that she loves the main character and that the romance is  _steamy hot_."   
  
"Oh god." Niall said, rolling his eyes. "You don't think these people know actual vampires, do you?"   
  
"Considering the Twilight vampires sparkle, no." Liam said, smiling at him. Despite the circumstances, spending time with Niall could make him feel better about anything. Even Cody still being in his life. He had practically given up. There wasn't much he could do about Cody, not right now. He knew that the others meant well, but he was starting to lose hope that everything would be perfectly okay. He just hoped that he would have a lot of time with Niall before the public grew suspicious about how young he appeared. Someday he would have to disappear, fake his own death, and disguise himself. Niall, the other lads, his family, and his other friends would all grow old and die. Liam would be here forever. That... was quite morbid.   
  
Unless, of course, Cody wanted to out the existence of vampires to the world. Liam wouldn't put it past him. Sometimes he hinted at it, but Liam really, really hoped it never happened. The public may have been okay with all the gay relationships in One Direction, but they were  _not_  ready to learn about supernatural beings.   
  
"I believe that's  _my_  book," Isabel said, stepping into the kitchen. Liam looked up at her and then at Zayn, who trailed behind her. Isabel wore PJ pants and one of Zayn's big t-shirts, and Zayn just wore shorts and a t-shirt. They both looked quite... happy. And pretty pleased with themselves. Liam briefly wondered if he and Niall looked similar.   
  
"Take it." Liam said, pushing it across the table. "It's weird."   
  
Zayn rolled his eyes. "You're a vampire and you're calling a vampire book weird?"   
  
"No, he's right," Isabel told Zayn. "I told you it's hilariously bad."   
  
"It might seem good to someone who doesn't know actual vampires." Liam pointed out, trying to play Devil's Advocate. In response, everyone just shot him this  _Oh, Liam_  look, like he always said ridiculous or silly things that shouldn't be taken seriously. He caught Niall's eyes, and realized his look was different than everyone else's. Niall was looking at him with love. Openly. In front of everyone. Of course, everyone knew, but they were a bit more private about their feelings than Louis and Harry or Isabel and Zayn were.   
  
"So you're all sitting around reading a book while our favorite witch just got back? Some friends you are."   
  
Everyone's gazes shot toward the doorway and they saw Louis. Beside him was Harry.   
  
Harry was back.   
  
Harry was  _back_.   
  
Niall was the first to jump up and wrap his arms around their friend. "Mate, oh my god, you're back!"   
  
"I am." Harry replied, smiling. He looked up again and to Liam's surprise, he even gave Isabel a friendly grin. And since Harry's smile could melt the coldest of hearts, she managed a smile back. They all made their way to Harry, hugging him tightly. The five lads found themselves in a group hug that lasted longer than what would be normal. But none of them cared, even though Isabel laughed at them. They were reunited again. It was about damn time.   
  
"It's no wonder the public questioned your sexualities before you guys came out." Isabel quipped. But Liam knew that she was just joking lightly. Behind her tough facade, she thought they were cute.   
  
When the hug ended, Harry stayed close to Louis, and Liam noticed that they looked... well, like he and Niall probably looked, and how Isabel and Zayn definitely looked. He was surprised that no one commented about how everyone in the house had just gotten laid. But he certainly wasn't going to do it, as funny as it was.   
  
"So. I'm back with a plan." Harry told them. Everyone looked suspicious, but Louis just seemed excited. "Liam, invite Cody over. Let him in."   
  
"Let him  _in_?" No one had let Cody into this house ever since he'd turned Liam. It was pretty much a rule. "No way."   
  
"Do it. I promise everything will be fine." Harry assured him. "Now, I'm going to go get Gabe and Alysa. When I come back, I'll tell you more about this plan."   
  
He disappeared suddenly, and Louis took Harry's place in promising that the plan was perfect. "You're going to love it, trust me." he said.   
  
Liam wasn't sure if he should get his hopes up.   
  
  
  
That evening, Harry, Louis, Niall, Zayn, Isabel, Gabe, and Alysa were all gathered in the basement, waiting. Liam knew what he had to do, but Harry was still worried. He knew that despite the fact that he detested Cody and despite the fact that Cody had forced him out of the closet, Liam had a special connection to him. It was like love-hate. Well, more like obey-hate.   
  
Then the doorbell rang and Harry heard Liam open the door and greet Cody. Liam told Cody that there was some blood in the basement that they could snack on, and they started heading Harry's way. Harry made sure he was ready.   
  
When Cody walked into the room, Harry lifted up his hand and immediately froze Cody in his place. However, he kept Cody's head unfrozen. Cody didn't realize at first. He tried to move. When he realized he was frozen, his eyes grew red and his fangs descended. He snapped his teeth at them. "Let me go, you stupid fucks! What are you doing? How...  _how_..."   
  
Harry gave Cody an innocent look. "You mean Liam didn't tell you I'm a witch? Shame on him."   
  
"You're a  _what_. Liam-" Cody said, now glaring at the vampire he'd made, who slipped into the room behind him, "You... you... kill-"   
  
Before Cody could finish his sentence, Harry waved his hand again and closed Cody's mouth. Now only the rest of his face worked. He could hear, smell, and see. Just not speak.   
  
"I don't think so, Cody." Harry said stepping forward. "By the way, I wasn't really in the jungle this whole time. I was in the spirit world. Gabe, Alysa, and I were saving the world. And let me tell you... we did it. Not only are witches, but we have special powers that have to do with ghosts. And as a reward for saving the world, the ghosts each gave us a temporary power. To restore someone's life and humanity. Basically, each of us can change one vampire into a human."   
  
There were gasps all around the room. Harry grinned at Louis, Niall, Zayn, Isabel, and then Liam. Alysa and Gabe looked pretty happy with themselves as well.   
  
Harry continued, "The thing is, our powers mixed with the our reward mean that once a vampire is changed into a human, he or she can't change back into a vampire. Learned that little tidbit while saving the world. Liam," Harry said, turning to his friend. "Do you  _want_  to be a vampire?"   
  
Liam gave him a look, as if he couldn't believe Harry was even asking him that question. "No. Definitely not."   
  
"In that case." Harry looked at Cody and grinned. "Watch this, Cody. It's gonna be fun." Cody gave him a confused look and Harry almost laughed at him.   
  
He proceeded to take Liam's hands in his and close his eyes. When he secured Liam's hands safely in his, he let his gifted power run through his arms, through his fingers, and then into Liam. When Liam felt what Harry knew was the start of his human self returning, he gripped Harry's hands tighter. Harry let the power flow through him. When it ended, he opened his eyes and found Liam smiling at him. His face was a bit more than it had been, and he looked...  _human_. He let go of Liam's hands, but suddenly Liam hugged him tightly.   
  
"Thank you. Thank you so much." he told Harry. "I can't believe... I'm  _human_. I  _feel_  human. I'm human!"   
  
"You might still have some vamp tendencies." Harry warned him. "But you're going to age now. You're not bound to Cody anymore." He added the last bit as he gave Cody a triumphant smile.   
  
Niall couldn't hold back it seemed. Soon Liam was torn out of Harry's embrace and then he and Niall were hugging tightly. Then to Harry's surprise, Niall kissed Liam right on the mouth in front of everyone. It seemed that things  _had_  changed. When they stopped kissing, they stayed glued to each other, even as Louis and Zayn gave Liam hugs as well.   
  
Gabe walked forward now, closer to Cody. "Enjoy that?"   
  
Cody's eyes flashed red in response.   
  
"Good." Gabe said, ignoring Cody's obvious  _no_. "Your turn." Cody couldn't even protest. Gabe walked forward and took Cody's limp hands in his own. "Of course, the alternative is that we stake you."   
  
"We should." Isabel said. "And that's coming from  _me_."   
  
Harry shook his head. "No. That's letting him off too easy. He likes being a vampire. He likes being in control and hurting people. Gabe, go ahead."   
  
"Gladly." Gabe said. And the transfer began. The red in Cody's eyes disappeared, and then his fangs were gone. When Gabe stepped back, he looked pretty satisfied with himself.   
  
Cody stayed frozen as Alysa approached Isabel then. Isabel held Zayn's hand tightly as the young witch approached her. Isabel obviously knew what was coming.   
  
"You have a choice." Alysa told her. "I know you have been a vampire for much longer than Liam and Cody, but I can make you human again."   
  
Isabel let out a shaky breath. "I..." She turned to Zayn. "Should I..."   
  
"It's  _your_  decision, Is." Zayn said very seriously. "And you  _know_  that. You don't have to ask me."   
  
Harry had never seen Isabel do anything without an attitude. She had mellowed out  _a lot_. He knew that even if Isabel decided to become a human, she would still have her bitchy moments. She just wouldn't be able to threaten their lives as a comeback anymore. Slowly, Isabel nodded. That actually surprised Harry. She  _wanted_  to be a human again. A few years ago, Harry would have assumed that Isabel loved being a vampire. He couldn't blame her, though. The novelty must have worn off.   
  
Alysa took her hands, and gave her a reassuring look. Harry watched as Isabel turned into a human. Her skin became less pale, but otherwise she looked the same. She breathed deeply, and then she felt her teeth with her tongue. "No fangs."   
  
"No fangs." Alysa told her, stepping back and letting go of her hands.   
  
Isabel and Zayn didn't embrace, but Zayn did carefully take her hand and held it in his. Harry wondered what this meant for them. Would they become official now? Whatever happened, they were both human and they had time to talk it out.   
  
"Now," Harry said, turning back to Cody, who was still frozen and miserable, "Now to deal with you again." He waved his hand and released Cody's mouth from its frozen state. Just his mouth.   
  
"Who the  _hell_  do you think you are!?" Cody exclaimed immediately. "How  _dare_  you-"   
  
Harry interrupted him. "Have you ever heard of PAUSE, Cody?"   
  
Cody blinked. "Fuck you."   
  
"I'll take that as a no. It was this organization dedicated to regulating supernaturals. Only, they started killing and capturing them. Isabel was in it before she got turned, and Louis used to be in it. But PAUSE no longer exists. Do you want to know why?" Cody didn't answer. Harry was amused by his silent treatment. "It no longer exists because my friends and family helped me defeat it. I was able to use a spell from my spirit magic book. It was called the Descendants Spell."   
  
Harry looked at his friends briefly. They all seemed to know what was coming now. To Cody, he said, "The Descendants Spell lets me invoke someone's ancestors. They can read your thoughts, find out who you've wronged, who you've hurt. I did that to several of the PAUSE members. Their ancestors ended up turning them into the authorities. I assume you know the names of the people  _you've_  hurt over these past few years?"   
  
Cody looked like he was going to be sick. He probably would have if he had any food in his stomach.   
  
"Gabe and Alysa know about this spell, but they have yet to witness it first hand. I just didn't have anyone to use to show them how it's done, because I only believe in doing it to people who deserve it. But I think I owe them a little demonstration."   
  
He stepped forward a bit more, and looked directly into Cody's eyes. "And it seems I have the perfect candidate."   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
 _A few days later_    
  
  
With Cody locked away, Liam and Niall had come out to the public as an actual couple. Harry couldn't help but be proud of them. They'd gone through so much crap in the past few years, and now they could just be happy together. The public accepted them as a couple with open arms, and some fans even thought it was a long-time coming. The Niam shippers were over the moon, and Harry and Louis looked on during the boys' coming out interview, happy that they were happy.   
  
Of course, Harry and Louis didn't get away with being inconspicuous that easily. Everyone eventually learned that Harry was back in London, and suddenly Twitter and Tumblr blogs went crazy. It had been months, and the fans had yet to hear Harry's side of the whole engagement thing. They did an interview together, all five of them, during which they talked about their upcoming goals and projects. They also talked about their relationships, and for the first time they were all completely truthful. Harry admitted that he and Vanessa were just friends the whole time everyone thought they were together, and that he and Louis had been together for years. Niall and Liam revealed that they had had an on-again, off-again relationship for years. Zayn revealed that he was going out with Isabel, and surprised the public by telling them how long their relationship had already lasted.   
  
Liam went back to working on his X Factor stuff, which had been doing the whole time anyway, and they  _all_  went back to rehearsing and performing. Harry and Louis made little plans for their wedding from time-to-time, and they visited their families periodically to get their input. Zayn and Niall worked on their individual projects as well as rejoining the band. In December, One Direction performed on the X Factor final, overjoyed that the fans still loved them even after their small hiatus.   
  
A few days before Christmas, Harry received a phone call. He looked at the caller ID as he wandered up the stairs and then answered the phone. "Hey Vanessa."   
  
"Harry. You have to help me! My parents found out about Colin! They know he's fae and they know we're together and I don't think I can take this anymore."   
  
Harry stopped walking at the end of the stairs. He didn't have plans for the next few hours, so he told her, "Give me five minutes and I'll be there."   
  
He hung up the phone and sighed, but couldn't help but smile. A witch's work was never done.


	11. Epilogue

_The following summer_  
  
  
"You're not wearing a blazer. What is this?"   
  
Harry laughed, admiring Louis' own tux. "You're not wearing stripes. I wonder if you're ill."  
  
Louis stuck out his tongue and reached up to adjust Harry's collar, which popped up just a little. When their eyes met, they grinned at each other, amazed that they had gotten this far.   
  
The ceremony had gone perfectly, and there had been very few dry eyes during the event. The two of them honestly couldn't choose between best men, so they had been surrounded by all of the lads, plus Stan. Zayn hadn't even laughed during the whole thing. He took his job very seriously, and helped make sure the wedding was the best day of Harry and Louis' lives.   
  
"I'm worried that the speeches the lads make will be embarrassing." Harry said, laughing. They had done a lot of things over the years that they should be embarrassed about. No doubt they would bring up Harry flirting with older women, or how often Louis pointed his finger at people when he was drunk. They had gotten up to a lot of ridiculous things since they had been put together as a band, and all of their shenanigans would be revealed. Well, the non-supernatural ones anyway.   
  
Harry took Louis' hand and opened the door. Their guests were mostly standing around talking, and some were seated at their tables. Harry spotted Zayn and Isabel talking with Gabe and Alysa, laughing. He saw Niall and Liam talking with some of Louis' cousins, Liam's arm around Niall's shoulders. He saw Gemma and Dana as well; they were dancing amongst a few other couples. Gemma and Dana were engaged, and had been for a few months now. Gemma always joked that Harry always did things before she did; he had gotten his driver's license before her, and now he got married before her.   
  
When they were spotted, friends and family ran to them immediately. Their parents and friends hugged them. The lads wanted a One Direction huddle, and they had a group hug that no doubt would be plastered all over the internet as soon as pictures from the reception leaked.   
  
"I can't believe you're married!" Niall exclaimed, red in the face. "It's amazing!"   
  
Harry couldn't help himself; he hugged his friends again tightly again before they had to mingle with all of the other guests.   
  
The reception went just as well as the wedding. Harry and Louis posed for pictures with everyone. There were a few representatives from the papers invited, ones that the boys actually knew, and they gave a few statements that would appear on the internet in a few hours.   
  
During the meal, the lads all shared several embarrassing stories. Harry and Louis' families contributed to that. Louis' mum called him "Boo Bear" and everyone awww'd. Louis buried his face in his hands, and Harry put an arm around his new husband, but teasing him just a bit as well.  
  
They still had a bit more embarrassment to endure.   
  
And a lot of fun.   
  
  
o O o O o O o O o   
  
  
 _A few days later in the Caribbean_    
  
  
"I know we're here to see the sights, but I really don't want to leave this hotel room."   
  
Harry snickered as he sat up in bed, looking down at Louis. "You can look at me naked anytime. Don't you want to go to the beach?"   
  
"Maybe later," Louis said, reaching up and touching Harry's face. "I mean, sex isn't the only reason I want to stay in here with you, but.... Don't you want to use the jacuzzi? We haven't done anything in  _there_  yet."   
  
Now Harry burst out laughing. The past few days they'd barely been out of their hotel suite, despite the fact that they had a beautiful beach and holiday spot to explore. Harry didn't mention the ghost population that he'd already seen here, though none of them actually came into the hotel room, thank god.   
  
They had had plenty of room service and plenty of sex the past few days. "Alright. Definitely later, because we  _do_  have to take  _some_  pictures. We have to tell our friends and family about things other than this room. I have something to give you, though."   
  
"You don't have to give me anything. You already gave me  _your hand in marriage_ ," Louis said dramatically, falling back against his fluffy pillow.   
  
Harry lightly punched Louis' shoulder and Louis stuck his tongue out at him. Harry got off of the bed naked so that he could rummage through his suitcase. Finally, he found the box at the bottom of the suitcase and pulled it out. He sat back on the bed next to Louis, who was now sitting up with a curious look on his face. "What's that?"   
  
"Open it." Harry said, shoving it into Louis' hands.   
  
Louis opened it and when he saw what it was, he looked up. "I'm trying not to judge you right now, but did you really give me a Magic 8 Ball?"   
  
Harry rolled his eyes, knowing Louis wasn't actually judging him at all. "Of course not. But it  _is_  magic. I charmed it so that it tells you the truth when you ask it questions. So if you ever need to tell the future about something, you can ask it and it can tell you. I figure it could be fun. Even though I'm sure you won't want it to predict  _everything_  for you."  
  
"Not everything." Louis nodded. He leaned forward and kissed Harry on the mouth for a moment. When he pulled back, he laughed. "I probably would have been horrified by this when I was nineteen."   
  
"Well, you're smart now." Harry teased, reaching up and poking Louis on the nose.   
  
"Thank you, Harry. This is awesome." Louis replied, flashing him a bright smile.   
  
"That's not all, you know." Harry said. "There's more in the box."   
  
Louis eagerly placed the Magic 8 Ball on the bedside table and reached into the box. He pulled out the other gift. "Are... are these see in the dark goggles?"   
  
"Sort of. I charmed them as well. Now they're See Into the Future goggles."   
  
Louis ogled him, obviously a bit overwhelmed. He hadn't really had any magic items since PAUSE was disbanded, even though Harry sometimes gave him permission to use his own items that were charmed.   
  
"We don't have to use them very often or even at all. I just thought... it would be fun. If we looked to see what was ahead. Maybe not something specific. Just... I don't know."   
  
"Wait," Louis said. He picked up the Magic 8 Ball and said, "Magic 8 Ball, will Harry and I always be together?" He shook it.   
  
It said  _Yes_.   
  
"Okay," Louis said, setting it down again. "I was just making sure of that before we looked into the future. Let's look at something."   
  
"Maybe something about us hanging out with the other lads in a year. Because I  _know_  we'll be doing that." Harry suggested. Louis nodded, and put on the goggles. Harry took his hand, because he would be able to channel the vision through Louis. Alright, just think about what you want to see, and it should appear. Harry closed his eyes.   
  
A moment later, a vision appeared. It was another wedding. This one was in a muc h different setting; it was outside, as opposed to Harry and Louis'.   
  
Again, Harry and Louis stood up at the front, but this time they weren't the ones getting hitched. Liam and Niall were. Zayn stood there proudly, looking mostly the same, but with longer hair. There were only small differences in everyone, so it had to be pretty near in the future.   
  
They decided to skip ahead to the reception, because they didn't want to watch the ceremony yet. Not until it actually happened. They didn't spy on the reception too much either. There was a huge hug between the five of them that made Harry smile. He had known they would all stay bandmates and best friends, but it was also nice to see that it was true.   
  
The vision ended. Harry opened his eyes and Louis took off the goggles. Louis, who had been put off by supernatural stuff at the beginning of their relationship, was actually smiling.   
  
"So we're going to be alright." Louis concluded, "The others, too."   
  
Harry nodded and leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek. "We're all going to be more than alright."


End file.
